Nursing shortage keeps West Coast rest home shut

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From reporter Joanne Naish:
A rest home on the West Coast will remain closed while a nursing shortage grips the aged care sector.

Reefton’s Ziman House closed in February due to staffing shortages and a concern about levels of care during the oncoming Omicron peak. Ten residents were moved to Christchurch, Hokitika and Greymouth, with the West Coast District Health Board (DHB) saying it would reopen in June.

This week, DHB general manager Philip Wheble said Ziman House could not reopen until more staff were recruited.

The home, which offered hospital-level care, employed two full-time equivalent nurses, but needed 5.6 to provide hospital-level care.

Wheble said if it could not recruit enough staff, the DHB might consider reopening with rest home-leve care, which had a lower requirement for staffing levels.

Between six and seven residents had indicated they wanted to return.

“The reality is that recruiting into health care roles across New Zealand is challenging and more so for rural locations like the West Coast,” Wheble said. Continue reading A rest home on the West Coast will remain closed while a nursing shortage grips the aged care sector.

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