Infometrics’ report "How many more nurses does New Zealand need?", officially released today, paints a picture of widespread understaffing across multiple departments and wards throughout the country.
The report said the evening shift at Southland Hospital’s emergency department was understaffed 90% of the time, on a par with the similarly beleaguered evening shift at the Tauranga Hospital ED.
The most frequently understaffed ward in the country was the night shift at the mental health ward at Hutt Hospital, which was understaffed 100% of the time.
Dunedin Hospital’s ED, which has been under the microscope for its slow processing of patients, does not feature in the understaffing report, but the Otago Daily Times is waiting on a report from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ).
Former head of the Dunedin emergency department John Chambers said the report was "grim", especially when it came to Southland’s ED.
"It’s just an unsatisfactory situation. They won’t be able to use the beds in the ED wards or the nurses will be overloaded.
"It’s not good for the patients or the nursing staff. It’s a serious concern."
Dr Chambers said there would probably need to be "serious juggling of nurses" from other departments in order to ensure the emergency department worked at all.
"My heart goes out to all who work there. I know it would be really difficult."
New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation (NZNO) president Anne Daniels — who works as an ED nurse — said understaffing rates of 90% or higher meant it would be "impossible" for nurses to provide the care "that was expected of them, and what they expected of themselves".
"They’re actually expecting nurses to do the job of two or three nurses every shift.
"With those kind of numbers, we’re lucky if we get the most essential tasks done like monitoring a patient and providing medication that’s been charted in a timely manner."
The report analysed data from 1.69 million shifts from 2022 to 2024 in 59 public hospitals.
In the Southern health district, wards were understaffed 33% in total and 50% of the time during the day shifts.
The NZNO commissioned Infometrics to quantify the nursing shortage in New Zealand based on current funding levels and on safe staffing funding levels.
Data was sourced from HNZ, which took more than a year and a complaint from the Ombudsman to release it to the nurses’ organisation.
"The Ombudsman made it very, very clear that [HNZ’s] ... responses to NZNO were totally unacceptable and dare I say it, unethical, too," Ms Daniels said.
"It’s because nurses kept saying we’re understaffed and [HNZ] kept saying that’s not correct.
"And yet it was."
Ms Daniels said now the information was out there, she hoped the government would use it as a means to increase staffing.
"This report, just like any other information, gives us more detailed clarity about where the biggest problems are and what is necessary for the government and nurse employers to do."
