The College of Nurses Aotearoa urges Minister Little to reconsider the position of excluding Primary Health Care Nurses from the pay parity announcement made yesterday.

Primary Health Care nurses are highly skilled front-line staff who make a positive difference to health outcome. Effective primary care prevents unnecessary hospital admission by keeping patients and whānau well in their own homes. This is a major saving to the country’s health system and wider community.

Pay parity for nurses should recognise the knowledge and skill of all nurses – not differentiated by clinical practice setting. Excluding a sector will perpetuate inequity by drawing nurses from that sector away to other areas of nursing that are better remunerated. Aotearoa needs a strong primary health care system. It is already under considerable strain. This short-sighted decision will only serve to weaken an already challenged system.

Contact:

Kate Weston

Executive Director

College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ)

027 225 8287

Information about the College of Nurses - www.nurse.org.nz

The College is a professional body of New Zealand Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners from all regions and specialties. It provides a voice for the nursing profession and professional commentary on issues which affect nurses, and also the health of the whole community. Its aim is to support excellence in clinical practice, research and education and to work with consumers to influence health policy. The College is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the improvement of Māori health. This commitment is reflected in the bicultural structure of the organisation.

The College of Nurses Vision is “100% Access, Zero Disparities in healthcare for all New Zealanders”.
 

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