Grey Power national president, David Marshall was among some 1000 attendees at a July Health and Election Forum in Mangere. The speaker, Dame Judy McGregor, a former Human Rights Commissioner, addressed issues deemed important to NZ seniors.
Fifteen years after she conducted a statutory inquiry into employment conditions in the aged care sector, Dame Judy McGregor said under- valuation of care and support workers in New Zealand had worsened.
“That’s because last year pay equity was stolen from New Zealand women, including care and support workers when 33 legitimate pay equity claims were axed, fundamentally breaching women’s human rights.”
In the course of her original inquiry Dame Judy worked undercover as a buddy carer in a Hamilton residential aged care facility.
“The lived experience shocked me. The job was physically demanding – hoisting, lifting and toileting sometimes heavy and frail elderly people whose lives literally depended on their carers.”
However, she also observed love and kindness shown to patients everyday by their carers but found the endless emotional labour and the trust required just as exhausting as the heavy jobs.
In her original report, Caring Counts, Dame Judy described the predominantly low pay for female carers as a type of modern-day
slavery and gender discrimination.
In light of today’s ‘worsened situation’ she asked politicians from the two political parties which attended the forum, whether their parties would commit to passing legislation within the first 100 days as government to fully fund pay equity for the care and support sector.
“We urgently need a new Equal Pay Act that rebuilds and sustains the care and support sector,” she said.
After later working in the health sector as chair of the former Waitemata District Health Board, Dame Judy said she remained alarmed at the absence of clever health workforce planning.
“Exit interviews from nurses and care workers leaving our hospitals, showed burnout, burnout, burnout. Typical comments were: “I love my job, but I can’t take it anymore. I am too tired.
“Health care staff shortages mean sick patients waiting in emergency departments for hours; not asking for help because they see how stretched staff are. [Moreover] rural and isolated communities are struggling to attract health and care workers.”
While acknowledging the good news that New Zealand’s ageing population was living longer, Dame Judy said this had also created an increased demand for service.
“Hospitals have to absorb the consequences when they become substitutes for community support and respite care.
“Those who can afford health insurance can have a knee or a hip replaced quickly, often by the same surgeon who is also working in the public system. Those on a public list may wait for years with increasing disability costs.”
With political will, stakeholder input and authentic community consultation, Dame Judy believes New Zealand’s health and care sectors can be transformed.
“We need political parties to commit to a government inquiry to establish a framework for a staff-to-patient ratio standard similar to overseas jurisdictions.
“A decently publicly funded health system, which provides equitable access and outcomes to everyone and urgently addresses ageing and decaying infrastructure, should be the minimum we all accept.”
