NZNO welcomes safe staffing review

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes the Nursing Safe Staffing Review, and specifically the effectiveness of the implementation of ‘Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM)’ at all Aotearoa New Zealand DHBs.

The review was confirmed by Minister of Health Andrew Little in his opening address to the NZNO conference this morning.

Under an Accord agreed between NZNO and the Ministry of Health in 2018, this implementation was promised to be in place by June 2021 but around half of Aotearoa New Zealand’s DHB’s do not yet have CCDM fully in place. This has been a significant issue for members of NZNO.

Hilary Graham-Smith will chair the nursing advisory group, which will also include Dr Rhonda McKelvie, Dr Jill Clendon and Kapua Quinn who each bring a deep understanding of the nursing profession and the staffing concerns it faces.

NZNO looks forward to engaging with the nursing advisory group and to providing its views on the effectiveness and implementation of CCDM.

NZNO is also pleased to hear the Minister acknowledge this morning that the people who work in the health system have been under pressure for a long, long time, and that dealing with the nursing shortage is a high priority for the Government.