Dr Ayesha Verrall has been welcomed by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) into the Minister of Health Role. NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter said the organisation and its members are looking forward to working with Verrall in addressing years of neglect by successive governments that have resulted in acute staffing shortages and poor working conditions that affect patient safety and threaten the future of the nursing profession.
"We know Ms Verrall is aware of the urgent need to lift the number of trained and qualified nurses and to ensure pay and conditions are equal across the health system,” explained Goulter.
"Our hope is that, with the Government’s recently stated commitment to health, we can begin to meet nurses’ values and expectations, so the right numbers of nurses are attracted into training and onto placements, and that those already in the profession will want to stay.
"In particular, we look forward to working with Ms Verrall to increase the number of Māori and Pasifika nurses and to building a Tiriti-based health system that is culturally appropriate so all communities receive the care they need."
The ongoing pay equity dispute and lack of pay parity, where every nurse everywhere has the same pay and conditions according to their qualifications and experience, are among the new Minister of Health's biggest challenges this election year.
"The lack of pay parity results in acute shortages of nurses in various sectors, as they move into the higher paid parts of health or leave the sector entirely.
"This means some sectors, such as Primary Health Care, Māori and iwi, Aged Care etc, cannot find or keep staff which leads to shortages that reduce health services in communities leading to poorer patient outcomes.
"I would like to thank Mr Little for the work he did in the health arena, and I wish him well with his new portfolios."
