Feb 19, 2009 10:00 PM

Union Expects Deficit of 5000; NURSING

SHORTAGE
from Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand ..

By THOMAS Kim

New Zealand's deepening nursing crisis eventually will result in a 5000-staff

shortfall, a nurses' union warns.

Surgeries were being cancelled every day because of a lack of staff, the New
Zealand Nurses Union said.

Chief executive Geoff Annals believed New Zealand faced a 5000- staff
shortfall in a few years - leading to elective services being culled and beds
closed.

The Ministry of Health and District Health Boards New Zealand are launching
a workforce survey of nurse numbers, with a view to future needs.

Countries such as the United States and Australia knew the extent of their
staff shortages and planned to take nurses from New Zealand, Annals said.

Australia had forecast a shortage of more than 40,000 nurses within the next
few years, while the US expected a million-staff shortfall.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said New Zealand was in a "very difficult situation"
because of a lack of workforce planning by the previous government.

Ryall said he would meet with Education Minister Anne Tolley to discuss
whether more nurses could be trained over the next few years.

At least an extra 200 would be required.

A scheme bonding young nurses to areas with skills shortages would start
soon, he said.

The Government had pledged to build 20 operating theatres, at a cost of

$180 million, and train up to 800 extra doctors and nurses.

It was difficult to say whether a 5000-nursing staff shortfall was correct as

figures had yet to be collected, Ryall said.

Originally published by THOMAS Kim.

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NZ Nursing Shortage Heading for

Crisis
Press Release: Massey University

Nursing shortage heading for crisis

The shortage of nurses in New Zealand is heading for crisis levels, due to an
ageing workforce, graduates heading overseas, and a global nursing
shortage, says a nursing workforce researcher.

Dr Annette Huntington from the School of Health Sciences on the Wellington

campus says with the average age of nurses at 45, many are approaching
retirement.

Australia is aggressively recruiting from New Zealand, with more than 900
nurses heading there in 2003, the most recent year for which figures are
available.

It is not known what that figure is now but anecdotal evidence is that it may
have worsened. A quarter of nurses from a recent class at Massey University
moved to jobs in Australia.
The issue is a global one, says Dr Huntington. “New Zealand nurses are very
desirable on the international market.

“New Zealand will continue to lose its qualified nurses to countries with
stronger economies and better pay and conditions.
“The issue of whether we can replace them from poorer developing countries
is increasingly an ethical debate, when those countries are also facing a
shortage and are arguably in greater need.
“Nurses are the backbone of health services. Our 45,000 registered nurses
make up approximately 60 per cent of New Zealand’s health workforce.”
Just over half work in district health boards, with the rest in areas such as
aged care, primary care, Maori health providers, the prison services, defence
and private hospitals.
“Although pay has improved for nurses working in DHBs, it has lagged behind
for other nurses.
“We have a small window of opportunity to address the issues before the
shortage becomes acute.”

Researchers from the School of Health Sciences are tracking nurses’ health,
wellbeing and patterns of workforce participation using on-line
questionnaires, in the Nurses’ E-Cohort Study. The study is establishing a
database to improve workforce policy and planning, with the aim of
encouraging the recruitment and retention of New Zealand nurses.
“Accurate data is essential for the planning and management of the nursing
workforce if this pressure is not to overwhelm our health services,” says Dr
Huntington.

The Nurses’ E-Cohort Study is a collaborative venture between the University

of Queensland and Massey University’s School of Health Sciences.