The Southern District Health Board (SDHB) is putting patients at risk due to a shortage of nurses on hospital wards, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says.

“A new report presented to the Southern District Health Board paints a distressing picture of the impact poorly staffed wards are having on patients at both Southland and Otago hospitals.

“Patient safety is being compromised and it is a huge concern.

“Hospital patients are vulnerable and rely on staff for support - to have inadequate nursing numbers on a ward is both unacceptable and worrying.

“It’s also unfair to put the nurses themselves under this pressure, especially with the risk of errors increasing as staff are stressed and overworked. 

“The SDHB needs to make addressing these nursing shortages a priority - to leave the issue is to sacrifice safety and put lives at risk.”