The health system is under massive strain, and the new entity tasked with fixing it says workforce shortages are at the top of its list.
NZ Health chairperson Rob Campbell says getting staff to fill gaps is the first hurdle to fixing the health system. Photo: Pantograph Punch
But a month into its new existence - Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora doesn't have any targets for how many new health staff it wants to bring on board.
The board met behind closed doors today.
Afterwards, chairperson Rob Campbell agreed getting staff to fill gaps was the first hurdle.
"Workforce, workforce, workforce is really the answer," he said.
Non-urgent surgeries are being delayed, there are staff shortages and available ICU beds are hard to come by.
Staff at Wellington Hospital have told RNZ that keeping up with demand is front of mind.
"They're so overworked and understaffed at the moment it's not funny. [It's] very stressful," a nurse said.
"The latest that's going round work is nurses being poached and going over to Aussie," another hospital worker said.
Campbell said he appreciated what staff were going through.
"We are very aware of the impact on staff and patients and their whanau of these issues and the efforts that are being made by those working to maintain services," he said.
Campbell said they have given plans to help the greenlight, with an announcement expected next week.
"We noted and approved some initiatives to address these issues, which will be implemented and some announcements will be made about them next week as they are rolled out," he said.
Campbell would not provide further detail on what initiatives might entail and admitted Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora did not yet have a target for how many nurses and doctors need to be brought into the system.
"It would honestly be wasting time arguing the toss about how many hundreds of nurses or thousands it is in various roles. The numbers are big, they are very pressing and we've just got to get on and knock it,"
"When we get closer to what might be a target, we can talk about targets. A target, frankly, right now wouldn't help us," he said.
Asked whether pay increases were on the cards for doctors and nurses, Te Whatu Ora CEO Margie Apa said they were sticking with current arrangements.
"We have current MECA arrangements in place. And we also have a national process for assessing where we do need to pay additional where we are finding it hard to find our full rosters," Apa said.
Minister has confidence
Health Minister Andrew Little, who was at the opening of a new private hospital in Hastings today, was asked if he had confidence in Te Whatu Ora's board to turn around the crisis in health.
"Well it's their job to do that. Not every problem can be fixed right away. It will be a combination of short-term and long-term fixes," he said.
"When I meet with them of the 1st of July when they came into existence I made it pretty clear of the top priorities that they had and one of them was workforce," Little said.