53966 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

53966 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: How many wards across Health New Zealand’s hospitals and services, if any, have reported more than 50% of “shifts below target” using the Care Capacity Demand Management programme in the month of July 2024, listed by the name of each ward?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I refer the Member to the attached table. I am advised that there were 93 shifts during July 2024. The attached table includes all wards with 47 or more shifts below target, which is the closest proxy to 50%. I am further advised that Shifts Below Target (SBT) is an end-of-shift measure of variance between care hours required versus care hours available. Without clinical judgement and other key variance indicators used in the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) Variance Response Management system, SBT does not translate to an indicator of unsafe staffing, or as a measure of capacity to deploy staff. It is possible for shifts with a positive care hours variance to still be 'unsafe' (e.g., due to low skills mix on shift); conversely a SBT measure can still represent a clinically safe shift (i.e., experienced staff who do not require support). I am further advised that the wards referred to in the Member’s question provide highly specialised care, and so their staff require highly specialised clinical skill sets. As a result, system solutions to staffing deficits, such as ’variance response management’ (staff redeployment), cannot be deployed easily to these wards. Instead, these areas are typically managed by having their own pool of former or part-time staff who are willing to pick up extra shifts. The Care Capacity Demand Management programme supports these wards by typically having a lower tolerance of deficits (i.e., the base planned roster is more robust).