1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,079 Speaker 1: We'll get our first glimpse of how the health sector 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: is performing and meeting the government's targets by Christmas. The 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Health Minister, doctor Shane at Letti, released more detail on 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: them yesterday. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: These are ambitious targets and what I've said before is 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 2: that a number of these targets were hard for the 7 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 2: previous government. You know they're going to be hard for 8 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 2: me too. 9 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: So currently Health New Zealand will have to find the 10 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: funding within baselines to do this, and there are some groups, 11 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: specialist groups who disagree. I think that that's wrong. Katie 12 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: Nookho is with us. She's the New Zeala Nurses Organization President. Carrie. 13 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, thanks for being with us. What 14 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: is your issue with these targets and the way they're 15 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: going about doing them. 16 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: Well, it seems to be that it's fine to have 17 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 2: amvicious plans, but if you don't have the people and 18 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 2: the resources to implement it, then any good plan will fail. 19 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 2: And this is what it seems to be that we're 20 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: seeing here. 21 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: Do how when you say we don't have the resources, 22 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: you're talking about. 23 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 2: Nurses, the whole of workforce. It's not just nurses that 24 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 2: have said that we're understaffed and the health system is 25 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: chronically underfunded. It is doctors, it is visios, that is 26 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 2: the rest of the health workforce. 27 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: Is it not good to have a target just to have, 28 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: you know, as you say, have something to aspire to. 29 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 2: And I think we agree with what the minister said. 30 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: He said that every dollar is spent on health is precious. 31 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 2: But the government health targets measures process, not outcomes, and 32 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 2: they're centered mainly around waiting this and access and flow 33 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 2: through the system. But if we fail to look at 34 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: the reasons for the blockages and the chokash points and 35 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: the delays within the systems now, which is workforce and resourcing, 36 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 2: then we're going to fail to execute any ambitious targets. 37 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: And that is the problem here. We've had a system 38 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 2: that's been chronically underfunded for years and chronically understaffed. 39 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: Our nursing vacancy, though is down from twelve to fifteen 40 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: percent to six percent, is what the. 41 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: Government is saying. That is not the reality of what 42 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: nurses are feeling on the work front and the patients engagements, 43 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 2: the higher work rates. That is not the picture that 44 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 2: our nurses in reality that are going to work. 45 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: Every day face but surely the stats don't lie, do they. 46 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 2: Well, nor do our nurses that are on the front 47 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 2: line and seeing these really high turnover of patients. 48 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: Have we ever had a safe level of nurses in 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: New Zealand now? 50 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 2: And that's part of the problem, right, We've never had 51 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: like internationally they're introducing what's called news to patient ratios. 52 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 2: We've never had that type of approach which will set 53 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 2: a standard around how many nurses per patients in the 54 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 2: work place do we need. That's the push, that's the 55 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 2: direction that our organization is saying for the government, let's 56 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 2: start to look at implementation around safe nurse to patient 57 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 2: ratio standards. 58 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: All right, Kerrie, thank you very much for your time 59 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,959 Speaker 1: this morning. Really appreciate That's Kerrie Niku, the Nurses Organism 60 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: Action A President. With us for more from News Talks 61 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: ed B Listen live on air or online, and keep 62 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,839 Speaker 1: our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts 63 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.