Health officials in Palmerston North are reviewing workplace safety concerns raised by stressed nurses in the city hospital's emergency department.
File photo: Palmerston North Hospital Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Hospital health and safety representatives, supported by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation union, last week issued three provisional improvement notices about the department.
They cited the overcrowded, noisy environment; lack of staff and resulting high workloads; and staff wellbeing and stress.
MidCentral District Health Board operations executive Sarah Fenwick said since the notices were received, a review of the concerns had begun.
It included union and department representatives, as the parties tried to resolve the impasse.
The Nurses Organisation said it couldn't comment while the process continued.
Last week it said the notices were "a powerful step" that gave MidCentral eight days until Thursday to "address" the issues raised.
"Safety concerns have been raised repeatedly with MidCentral District Health Board over the last few months, but [health and safety representatives] say concerns have not been adequately addressed," it said in a statement.
Fenwick said nursing absences in the department for the month to 22 June averaged 10 percent.
The board was filling roles and recruiting ahead of the opening later this year of the larger medical assessment planning unit and emergency department observation area.
In the week to Monday, the busiest day at the department was Thursday 16 June, when 134 patients turned up. The quietest day was Sunday 19 June, with 102.
Fenwick said it was difficult to compare this with previous years because, with border closures, there was no influenza and fewer winter illnesses circulating.
In May, the average waiting time in the department was six hours until a patient was admitted to a ward or discharged, and the mean, or middle figure, 8.1 hours.
"An average wait time does not give a clear picture of our ED situation. All patients who come to ED are triaged in order of priority," Fenwick said.
"If a person arrives to ED critically ill or injured, they will be triaged as high priority and will be seen immediately.
"Those triaged with illnesses or injuries that are deemed less urgent will have a lower priority and therefore have a longer wait time than others."
The Nurses Organisation last week said the decision to issue the improvement notices had 100 percent support among staff who took part in a poll.
"We're stretched physically, mentally and emotionally, with a high level of sick leave leading to high resignations. This now means we are significantly understaffed," said health and safety representative Kirsten Caves.
"To make matters worse, we are lacking in resources and our department space just isn't sufficient for the number of patients coming into ED."