Organisation Backs Aged Care Providers’ Concerns

3 November 2004

Nurses Organisation Backs Aged Care Providers’ Concerns

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has backed calls from aged care providers for urgently needed increased government funding for the sector.

“Like the providers we have also been saying for some time the sector is heading for a crisis, with insufficient money to recruit and retain staff, let alone pay them fairly,” said NZNO spokeswoman Cee Payne-Harker.

Cee Payne-Harker said the recent annual funding allocation of a 1% increase for providers in was pitifully inadequate.

“Caregivers are amongst the lowest paid New Zealanders and they do one of the hardest jobs, caring for our elderly at their most vulnerable time,” said Cee Payne-Harker.

Cee Payne-Harker said the unions in aged care and the providers had a common interest in achieving realistic funding for the sector.

“It is also in the interests of all New Zealanders that the sector is adequately funded, because that is the only way to ensure we have quality care in our rest homes, private hospitals and dementia care homes and adequate numbers of fully trained and properly remunerated staff,” she said.

“The providers are openly acknowledging that their caregivers and nurses deserve to be paid more but they are not funded to pay them fairly.”

Cee Payne-Harker said NZNO was already working with providers to lobby government for increased funding and, as the funding crisis grew, the union would work more closely with the providers.

ENDS

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