53967 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

53967 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: How many “shifts below target” have occurred, if any, in the months of May, June, and July 2024, as reported in the Care Capacity Demand Management programme, listed by district?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I refer the Member to the attached table. I am 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).