The government needs to step up and address a "cash crisis" hitting rest homes, the West Coast District Health Board says.
The Ziman House annex of Reefton Health remains closed. Photo: LDR/Brendon McMahon
A bid to reopen Ziman House rest home in Reefton has been delayed due to ongoing staff shortages.
DHB management told the board meeting in Greymouth on Friday, the government was aware of the issue, and they had "fingers and toes crossed" for the upcoming Budget.
Deputy chairman Tony Kokshoorn said the board had to send a strong message to the minister of health and the government "that this is a real problem" they needed to address, particularly pay parity.
"I know there is an old saying that money is not everything, but by God it is here. Cabinet have to address this problem - it is a cash crisis."
Chairman Rick Barker said the difficulties were symptomatic of the issue nationwide recruiting and retaining of staff in the aged residential care sector.
"We have reached out to Canterbury (DHB) to see if we can get any assistance. We have been told they are in exactly the same position as us ... with facilities closing the door."
The aged care residential sector was down about 1000 nurses and had an about 2500 shortage in the general nursing sector nationwide.
The pay differential of about $20,000 between those two sectors meant aged residential care positions were always harder to fill - aside from the challenges of the West Coast being remote.
Management had said a number of people had either replied to adverts and not gone further or had not fronted for interviews, Barker said.
The government had to address three areas: The differential between aged care and general nursing; nursing training; and enabling and facilitating immigration to recruit staff.
With DHBs shortly being disbanded, representation needed to be made to Health NZ to "strengthen and solidify" aged care.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
