Christchurch health workers say they're facing burnout as unfilled positions force staff to take on extra work.
And one worker says staff aren't sure how long they can continue at this pace.
The concerns follow a recent report by the Public Service Association, which says government recruitment controls have delayed the filling of health vacancies as part of efforts to reduce costs.
A PSA spokesperson said vacancies were widespread across Christchurch, and they believed the staffing shortages were connected to the recruitment controls.
PSA regional polling showed 79 per cent of respondents said their team had to wait more than a month to get approval to fill a vacancy.
These pressures were not only limited to clinical roles. Workers also reported shortages in operations which affected how efficiently services ran.
One worker in an administration department said clinicians were increasingly having to schedule their own appointments because there was no one available to do it for them.
“They could see more patients if administrators managed this.”
A different staff member, in a mental health department, said reduced IT and HR staffing was also affecting the onboarding of new employees.
“Staff haven't been able to access clinical databases and commence clinical work. Staff haven't had emails for basic communication.”
Health New Zealand group director of operations for Canterbury, Hamish Brown acknowledged that hospital teams could come under pressure during periods of increased demand and staff sickness, particularly over winter.
However, he said contingency plans were in place to ensure care continued to be delivered safely.
He said preparations for winter began in March, with measures aimed at keeping people well, supporting primary care, improving hospital flow and helping patients return home sooner.
At Christchurch and Burwood hospitals, Health NZ opened additional beds and recruited an additional 30.75 FTE clinical staff.
It also employed additional registered medical officers at Christchurch Children's Emergency Care and extended point of care blood testing.
Three Christchurch general practices were funded, while a new urgent and after hours care service in Rolleston was also announced.
Brown said the service was expected to reduce the number of people presenting to Christchurch Hospital's emergency department with conditions that could be safely managed in the community.
The PSA does not have figures showing how Canterbury staffing levels changed before and after the recruitment controls were introduced.
However, it said workers were reporting widespread vacancies and delays in getting positions approved, which it argued were contributing to increased workloads and pressure on existing staff.
Brown said a vacancy did not necessarily mean a position was unstaffed.
“Where there may be vacancies, that does not mean positions are not filled. Vacancies may be staffed through a range of measures, for example by offering more hours to staff on flexible or part time arrangements.”
Brown said workforce pressure and demand can lead to longer wait times for some non urgent care, but said it was not preventing people from accessing emergency treatment or affecting Health NZ's ability to provide safe care.
Health workers, however, said relying on existing staff to work additional hours was putting increasing pressure on already stretched teams.
One worker said staff were continuing to do what they could for patients, but questioned how long they can keep this going for.
“While we do what we can, because we hold the family at the front of our thoughts, this is not achievable for much longer until we lose more of our colleagues due to lack of satisfaction and burnout.”
