NZNO Commends Nurses Working In Flood-hit Areas

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi
Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) commends its nurse, health care
assistant and kaimahi hauora members working in our
flood-devasted areas.

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku,
who lives in Hawke’s Bay, says many are dealing with their
own personal traumas as a result of the floods, but where
they can they are still turning up to their jobs, working
extra shifts to cover those unable to work, and mucking in
with the community clean up.

“The floods have made the
region resemble a war zone, with devastation everywhere and
helicopters constantly overhead. Just getting to work can
take hours longer each way, and short staffing is rife so
extra shifts have become the norm for anyone able to
work.”

Coronary care nurse, Napier resident and NZNO
member Sami Mcintosh said everyone has been affected by
trauma, either directly, through a loved one, or through
compassion or feelings of guilt at not being able to do more
for those less fortunate.

“We are doing what we can to
keep our patients safe – nurses, cleaners and all the way
through to nurse managers – but beds, personnel and
resources are short and we are in survival mode.”

Ms
Mcintosh said standards of care have been compromised by
reduced staffing levels, but the hard truth is that many
nurses are simply unable to work.

“We have nurses
whose homes have been destroyed and they having to deal with
that. There’s also fear around looting, which means people
are reluctant to leave their houses
unoccupied.

“Nurses are used to the tension around
balancing their own needs with the needs of their patients,
but this has brought that tension up to a whole other level.
Do we deal with our own catastrophes, help our neighbour
shovel their property, or work ourselves ragged doing
endless extra shifts?”

NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku
said that for decades governments have under-invested in the
nursing workforce and that our lack of preparedness for
disasters, in terms of nursing numbers, is further proof of
that.

“Better planning for emergencies is needed of
course, but part of that has to be building a large and
resilient homegrown workforce.”

Nevertheless, Ms Nuku
said she is immensely proud of the way nurses and health
workers in flood-hit areas have responded to the
crisis.

“Once again we’re rising to the challenge
where a lot is being asked of us. Despite the tensions and
demands on them, nurses are doing their best with what
resources they have.

“Community nurses are working
with marae and local aid agencies, or with the centres where
many of the displaced people are being housed. Hospital
nurses are juggling lack of bedspace and resources alongside
increased staff absenteeism to see that patients get the
best care possible.”

She said the devastated
communities owe their nurses a debt of gratitude, and that
the destruction wrought by Hurricane Gabrielle has only
further underscored the need for better investment towards
growing the nursing
workforce.

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