‘We’re tired’: Nurses Say Staffing Shortages Are Putting Whakatāne Hospital Under Pressure

Nurses at Whakatāne Hospital say ongoing staffing shortages are putting pressure on staff and patient care, with workers regularly asked to cover vacant shifts.

Jill Lee, a New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate and nurse, said the problem had been building for months and was not limited to winter.

“We’re feeling it’s unsafe staffing. We don’t have enough nurses to cover our shifts.”

Nurses were regularly contacted on their days off and asked to return to work, creating what Lee described as a “constant” stream of texts and calls about picking up shifts.

The pressure was affecting the level of care nurses could provide to patients.

“We can’t give the care that we want to give, or that our community actually deserves, because our loads are so heavy and it just adds so much pressure.”

“When you leave a shift, you don’t just leave work, and you’re done. That goes home with you.”

Lee said nurses could finish shifts worried they had missed something while caring for patients in busy conditions.

She also pointed to pressure in the emergency department, where high occupancy in inpatient wards was having a flow-on effect.

“ED is really busy, and that has a huge knock-on effect because our wards are full.”

“We’re running over 100% majority of the time.”

She described staffing pressure as a hospital-wide issue, spanning district nursing, renal, maternity, outpatients, theatres, surgical and medical wards, and mental health services.

Limited access to general practitioners also contributes to demand in emergency departments, Lee said, with some patients becoming more unwell before seeking hospital care.

“It’s not just Whakatāne Hospital, it’s every single hospital in this country.”

Staffing is a regular topic of discussion among nurses, with Lee also raising concerns about the removal of administrative and other support roles.

“They call you an IT and an admin, but we need those people to function properly.”

“They’re very important roles.”

Lee called for increased funding so hospitals could employ staff at levels considered safe.

“Provide funding for the hospital so that we can employ staff where we need to be safe.”

While nurses continued to cover shifts when asked, she stressed they also needed adequate time away from work.

“We also need to have our downtime, but you kind of don’t really get that because of the constant barrage of the need to be picking up shifts to cover shortfalls.”

Lee said greater investment in the health system was needed to address the pressure.

“I would just really love to see proper funding of our health system so that our health system can work at its optimal, providing the best care for our community.”

In response to the nurses’ concerns, Te Whatu Ora told 1XX News it acknowledges the commitment of the nursing team at Whakatāne Hospital, who do “amazing work every day and continue to go above and beyond to provide safe, high-quality care during a busy winter period.”

Colleen Vandy, the District Chief Nurse in the Bay of Plenty, said, like many hospitals across the country, Whakatāne Hospital had experienced increased patient demand, particularly during winter, creating periods of high occupancy.

“We recognise the pressure this can place on staff and appreciate the efforts of our teams to meet the needs of patients and the community,” she said.

Whakatāne Hospital has increased its nursing workforce by 21 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions since 2022.

“There are currently approximately 3.1 FTE vacancies being recruited to in the acute care unit,” Vandy said.

She said the hospital would continue to maintain safe staffing through active workforce management and escalation processes while recruiting. This could include deploying additional staff from the Nursing Resource Team, using casual staff, and offering additional shifts or overtime to the current workforce.

“We continue to monitor workforce pressures, support staff wellbeing and actively recruit to vacant positions.”

Vandy said patient safety remained a priority and that the hospital remained focused on providing safe, quality care for the Eastern Bay of Plenty community.