In photos: Thames nurses hit the street to ask for more colleagues

Wednesday, 31 July 2024

ED nurse Charise Toledo was rugged up for the dreary weather on picket line day.

Nurses in Thames say the hospital is 20 full-time nurses short, and a hiring freeze is proving dangerous for patients.

They staged a picket outside the hospital on Tuesday, backed by the the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).

The union says the 20-nurse figure comes from Care Capacity Demand Management programme calculations.

Health NZ did not provide comment before the deadline for this story, but has previously said the pause on recruitment applies only to roles that aren’t patient or community-facing.

Bradley McNamara shares the safe staffing message.

Charise Toledo (behind sign), Sandhya Giopinathan, Suja Lijosh and Sujetha Presant get their point across.

Thames nurse and NZNO delegate Donna Sarjeant was one of those sharing concerns.

The nursing union says Thames Hospital is short about 20 full-time nurses, according to Care Capacity Demand Management programme calculations.

Thames councillor Robyn Sinclair said her late husband received outstanding support and care at the hospital. Mayor Len Salt said the hospital is a valuable asset to the community.

Eddie Stott, 3, was in charge of a flag.

Waikato Times visual journalist Kelly Hodel went along to see the nurses’ rally.