Nurses Organisation delegates turn their back on Health Minister Simeon Brown during his speech to the NZNO conference. Photo: RNZ / Ruth Hill
Health Minister Simeon Brown has shrugged off the frosty reception he received at the NZ Nurses Organisation annual conference in Wellington today, and doubled down on his criticism that strike action hurt patients.
Dozens of angry delegates stood and turned their backs on him during his speech, in which he thanked nurses for their vital work - and acknowledged that many felt stretched - before addressing "the elephant in the room".
"Let me be clear: you have the right to strike. That right is part of a free and fair society. But it's also true that thousands and thousands of patients are affected."
The minister went on to give the example of a mother who had been unable to hold her premature baby for 24 hours because of strike action.
Auckland nurse Rangi Blackmoore-Tufi was the first to stand and walk to the back of the room.
"I felt like he was guilt-tripping us. He was using an example of the kind of thing we see every day as part of our mahi, but he was saying 'This person suffered because you went on strike'."
The reality was that patients were suffering delayed care every day due to staff shortages, she said.
Her impromptu protest was intended as a clear message to the government.
"I feel like you're not listening to everything we have been saying through our strikes and our action.... If you're not going to listen to me, I'm not going to listen to you."
Dozens of her fellow delegates joined her over the course of the minister's speech, which ended in awkward silence instead of the customary applause before New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku took the podium to thank him.
"We have a saying back at home: "Look the taniwha in the eye and have the kōrero. And that's what this is an opportunity to do today."
It was not immediately clear who was the taniwha in this scenario, but Nuku said the minister could not have missed the "palpable frustration" in the room.
Minister's words welcome - but action needed, says union boss
NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter said the minister's example of the premature baby denied skin-to-skin contact should have been covered by life-preserving services, which continued during the strikes.
"And that's a failure of management and Te Whatu Ora to ensure that happened. So I think he needs to go and talk to his management."
It was great to hear the minister acknowledge the worth of nurses, Goulter said.
"But those are words and we're looking for practical outcomes. Is he and his government going to fund hospitals and Te Whatu Ora sufficiently to employ enough nurses as our evidence showed [is needed]?"
That report - prepared for the union by Infometrics - showed hospitals were short an average of 587 nurses on every shift last year.
'More work to do', says minister
Speaking to media after his speech, the minister admitted there was room for improvement.
"But ultimately we have to work together. It's all very easy to run negative headlines but actually we need to work together to solve these problems.
"We are seeing the numbers run in the right direction, but there's more work to do."
When asked if the government would require Health NZ to lock in safe-staffing calculations that were part of the previous collective agreement - and fund Health NZ to pay for it - Brown said Health NZ was the employer and it took patient safety "extremely seriously".
The government had already given Health NZ a record funding boost of more than $16b over four budgets to resource front-line services, he continued.
He was unfazed by the cool reception from nurses.
"I don't rate my accomplishments by applause. I rate them by how we're delivering on our health targets."
Brown said he would not be shying away from "robust conversations".
"Clearly not everyone in that room agreed with what I may have said. That's what happens in a free and democratic society - I welcome it.
"But in the end, I stand here for patients, who are having their care delayed."
Short-staffing hurts patients more than strikes, say nurses
Healthcare assistant Al Dietschin was among those who turned his back on the minister today.
"The minister has been disingenuous with what he said. He's gas-lit members. He's being less than truthful with the facts when it comes to staffing in our health system."
Stressed, burned-out staff could not do a good job of caring for patients, he said.
Wellington nurse Hilary Gardner said the minister was right that patients had their care delayed due to strike action - but many more patients were affected every day by chronic understaffing.
"We know there are patients who are already being delayed for treatment, there are patients who are stuck on waiting lists for surgery, because we do not have enough health professionals in our hospitals, we do not have enough beds to provide the care that's required."
More talks between the Nurses Organisation and Health NZ are scheduled for tomorrow. It will be the 30th day of bargaining since negotiations began last year.
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