Nurses union Create-a-Crisis Show Continues

NZ Aged Care Association

Nurses union Create-a-Crisis Show Continues

The Nurses union and its industrial adviser Rob Haultrain are attempting to create, in vain, the impression that the quality of aged residential care in New Zealand is in crisis, but continue to miss the point.

What they are ignoring is the looming crisis in the “quantity” of beds that will be available because of future demand outstripping the supply of beds within the next five years, the leading aged care organisation, New Zealand Aged Care Association, says.

“To promote their own, self-serving political goals, the Nurses’ union dismisses the collaborative research undertaken in the Aged Residential Care Service Review by Grant Thornton and NZIER. This was an independent report which underpins our position on future demand, build costs and funding impacts”, says Martin Taylor, CEO of NZACA.

“New Zealand currently has 34,100 beds and will need 38,000 by 2016. If these beds are not provided, the elderly will have to double bunk, miss out or jam up a public hospital. That is the crisis facing us,” Mr Taylor says.

Rob Haultrain and the Nurses’ union need to produce robust independent research to back up their anecdotal comments, innuendo and rumour on the quality of care in this country.

“To date their ‘research’ consists of holding a meeting with supporters and then repeating their self generated negative mantras until they start believing their own spin.”

“It is interesting that all of the union’s policies would result in a highly regulated labour market where wages would be set nationally. Bottom line it’s about improving Union control over the 85% of aged care workers who are not members of a Union.”

“It’s also interesting that all of the union’s policies to address the mythical quality care crisis in aged care were rejected by Labour when in power.”

“I accept Rob’s challenge for a public debate and look forward to her presentation based on independent robust research and not ideological generated anecdotes and rumour,” says Mr Taylor.

ENDS

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