‘Overworked’ nurses have left Greymouth’s newest hospital saying their stress levels were too much.

Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre opened in July last year, replacing the old Grey Base hospital.

But senior staff told Chris Lynch health workers started resigning after it opened.

One staff member, who didn’t want to be named said “6 nurses have left the Emergency department and there are at least 15 nurses who have left or are working out their notice from the General ward.” 

 “Two nurse retired early because of the increased work load.”

The health worker said “the new hospital was not easy to work in, lots of walking from room to room, with mix surgical and medical patients, meaning health staff were having to up-skill and work across departments without adequate training.”

“As more have left, work load and stress has increased. Now all staff are expected to work extra and longer shifts.”

“Nursing care is suffering because staff are tired and stressed.”

There was also concern at the “high turnover of patients being discharged and then being re-admitted within days. “There is no continuity of care.”

West Coast DHB General Manager Philip Wheble said the turnover within nursing is well below the national average. 

He acknowledged “moving into and working in a brand new facility can be challenging.”

“Over the past year, our staff have not only orientated to a new work environment, in some cases they have also had to adapt to new ways of working. In addition to these changes, staff are also negotiating a changing landscape of health service demand, which means they are seeing sicker patients, often with a range of complex medical conditions.”

He said he encouraged all staff to raise any health and safety concerns through their manager or other appropriate DHB channels.

“This ensures that the right supports are in place to allow our staff to work safely and within the scope of their professional qualifications and experience.”

 “West Coast DHB has an active recruitment strategy and is working hard to recruit more permanent staff.”

“Recruitment and retention of suitably qualified staff is challenging. We acknowledge that staffing shortages add significant stress to our team and we work as a team across our region to help support areas that are having difficulty filling their vacancies.”