Health Minister Andrew Little has “his head in the sand” over the nursing home crisis, says the latest deputy chair of the now-defunct West Coast District Health Board.
Tony Kokshoorn, also a trustee of Greymouth’s Dixon House for 20 years, says government slowness is over pay parity literally left older citizens out in the cold.
“We are unable to retain nurses. It is totally unjust – and the minister must stop that. It is an absolute crime. The minister cannot keep his head in the sand and say that he does not know that these things are happening,” said Kokshoorn.
The elderly care was at “now a crisis point”, with Australia recruits nurses in New Zealand in a $4.5 billion campaign that offered better pay, and he said the matter went straight to the government.
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“If you sit idly on the sidelines and think this will go away, you’re wrong. Wage parity must be addressed by the minister’, says Kokshoorn.
In response, Little said he had long accepted that the issue of pay equality with nurses in aged care and primary care needed to be addressed, and that the government was moving forward with a process to address the problem.
Kokshoorn criticized Little during the last meeting of the DHB in Greymouth late last month, joking that the minister’s response had been “too little, too late”.
This week Kokshoorn stood by that criticism.
“Refusing to acknowledge the crisis due to lack of funding puts New Zealand last…to solve this massive shortage of registered nurses. Residents in need of care are literally left out in the cold. The minister is aware of this situation, which is getting worse by the week.
“If Little intends to treat seniors like that, his wisdom and leadership is sadly lacking.”
Joanne Naish / Things
Former West Coast DHB Vice-Chairman Tony Kokshoorn says aged care is now at a “crisis point”.
Kokshoorn said nonprofits Dixon House cannot compete with the rest of the health sector, let alone Australia.
“I would like to tell Mr. Little that ignorance is not bliss. New Zealand has a funding crisis in health and aged care, and the Ministry of Health is doing too little, too late. I cannot emphasize enough – this is a disaster for New Zealand.”
Older people in need of “dignity in proper care” faced a bleak future as beds closed due to staff shortages.
“They are being deprived of the hospital care they need.”
A 1.2% funding increase offered by the government to aged care operators was an insult as community funds like Dixon House had escalating costs that limited their capacity to admit new residents, he said.
Dixon House in Greymouth has moved all hospital-level care residents to Granger House due to staff shortages.
The Ministry of Health had agreed with the Association of Pension Villages that a 9.4% increase in basic funding was necessary, but “came back to that”.
Dixon House was run by an unpaid volunteer council and was always struggling.
“They run from a fat rag. It all depends [ministry] financing to exist. It is inevitable and it has already happened – we have to close beds for incoming residents.”
Kokshoorn said he could see “both sides of the coin” as a trustee and a former health board member.
The temporary closure of Ziman House in Reefton emphasized only the crisis on the west coast.
In April, Greymouth’s two retirement homes pooled resources to avoid being closed due to a local staff crisis and a clash with Covid.
Kokshoorn said the aged care sector was short of about 1,100 nurses and about 800 beds were closed as facilities failed to meet their Ministry of Health’s minimum requirement for registered nurses.
“Pay parity is significantly underfunded.”
Peter Meecham / Stuff
Health Minister Andrew Little says pay equality needs to be addressed.
Ironically, West Coast workers were brought in to work for the ministry-funded DHB because it offered better pay, creating a vicious cycle for nurses in coastal rest homes, Kokshoorn said.
Little said the issue of pay equality has been discussed with representatives of those sectors since last year.
However, ongoing lawsuits over a wage-share agreement agreed with the nurses organization was delayed initiate the wage parity process.
A process has been completed and a ministerial decision is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
Little said Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand had increased funding for old people’s homes by 3.41%, the price per bed.
“There is an extra 2.8% available to finance the increase in the number of beds financed.
“Neither Health NZ nor the Department of Health have ever agreed that a 9.4% increase is justified. That figure comes from the Association for Elderly Care,” said the minister.