5 April 2006

Pay Parity For Hospice Nurses - NZ First

Hospice nurses should not need to conduct a campaign to win pay parity with their district health board colleagues says New Zealand First’s health spokesperson Barbara Stewart.

“It must be glaringly obvious to the Government that a difference in pay of up to $10,000 a year between public hospital nurses and hospice nurses will eventually have an adverse effect on the recruitment and retention of hospice nurses.

“Hospices already rely heavily on community funding and without government help it is likely that many of them will struggle to meet the financial burden of increased wages, said Mrs Stewart.

“An estimated $2.5 million a year is needed to fund the pay difference for over 300 hospice nursing staff at 15 hospices.

“That amount is a drop in the bucket of the total health budget but what better place could it be spent than in the care of the terminally ill?

“Having supported the settlement with New Zealand Nurses Organisation nurses employed by district health boards the Government and DHBS now have a moral obligation to ensure hospice services are maintained. Pay parity for hospice staff is vital,” said Mrs Stewart.

ENDS

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