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State-Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall - Source: Getty
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has launched a salvo at the Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty district health boards, saying proposed job cuts and tightened spending would pose a threat to staff and patient safety.
But regional health boards have hit back, and Health Minister Tony Ryall says more money than ever is being invested in hospitals.
The nurses' organisation said a Hawke's Bay DHB staff memo claimed there would be cuts of 35 staff across all disciplines, a "sinking lid" on all recruitment and no new positions could be created unless there was new funding.
The association cited international evidence that had shown fewer nurses on wards meant an increase in patient deaths.
A Hawke's Bay DHB spokeswoman said yesterday that no decisions had been made on whether jobs would go, and the proposal was "just one of the things that is being looked at, like you would any business".
The DHB had posted a budget surplus in the past financial year, but had a lot of capital works coming up so had to look at how savings could be made.
Hawke's Bay DHB chief executive Kevin Snee said the memo was taken out of context.
"The DHB is looking at a number of ways where it can make savings so it can meet its financial budgets and complete capital projects such as developments in Wairoa, new renal and endoscopy suite, new mental health in-patient unit, improved rheumatology service, a new theatre and a number of other projects.
"We are working to provide a quality service which operates more efficiently at less cost so our patients and the community benefit, while at the same time improving the working environment for staff."
The productivity improvements "might" impact on jobs and result in an estimated 35 redundancies, but nothing had yet been decided.
The NZNO also said nursing positions were set to go at the Bay of Plenty DHB, which a spokeswoman yesterday denied.
Every department was being asked to review its resources both in terms of supplies and staffing as the fiscal environment tightened, she said.
There were no redundancies planned for frontline nursing staff.
Bay of Plenty DHB director of nursing Julie Robinson said staff had been asked to help identify where efficiencies could be gained "but this will never be at the expense of patient safety or care".
NZNO chief executive Geoff Annals said they were hearing of nursing job cuts countrywide.
"Frontline nursing jobs are going, as the Government puts the pressure on DHBs to meet budget targets. What this will mean is greater health costs down the track, as people did not get the care they needed, when they needed it," Mr Annals said.
But Mr Ryall said funding to DHBs was increasing each year, and like all of the public service DHBs had to live within their budgets.
There are more than 800 extra doctors and 2000 more nurses working in DHBs than there were three years ago.
Hawke's Bay DHB had received $47 million extra funding over the past three years and would receive extra money in this year's Budget.
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