The largest primary health organisation in the country, ProCare, has today joined the growing list of organisations calling for nurses to be added to immigration’s priority residency green list.

Also echoing this call is Aged Care Association, Family Planning, Home and Community Health Association, NZ Nurses Organisation, Plunket and The Association of General Surgeons.

Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at ProCare says: “General practices across the country have been crying out for additional nursing support for months now. With Australia offering significant incentives for nursing staff to move across the Tasman and hospitals paying significantly more than general practices, the shortage of general practice nurses is getting worse not better.

“It currently takes general practices around seven months to get an overseas nurse approved to work in New Zealand, which seems to be an extremely long time for something that seems relatively straightforward,” points out Norwell.

“When we heard both Margie Apa [Chief Executive] and Rob Campbell [Chair] announce as part of the launch of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand that they want nurses added to immigration’s priority residency green list alongside other healthcare workers it was music to our ears, However, these calls still seem to be going unheeded,” continues Norwell.

Dr Allan Moffitt, Clinical Director at ProCare says: “With thousands of cases of influenza and covid currently circulating in the community, let alone all the catching up practices need to do in terms of childhood immunisations, overdue cervical smears and CVD checks, it’s essential the practices have the nursing workforce to help look after their patients.

“What we want to avoid is practices not being able to enrol new patients, or patients waiting weeks for an appointment due to staff shortages – thereby potentially leading to further health complications,” continues Moffitt.

“Therefore, we urge both the Health and Immigration Ministers to hear calls for more nurses with immediate effect,” concludes Moffitt.