18th April 2026
Frontline healthcare workers are growing concerned that staffing shortages are placing patients at risk
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says recent cost-cutting measures are worsening an already strained system.
Cohort patient watches, where a single healthcare assistant is tasked with monitoring multiple high-risk patients at once, are at the centre of the issue.
These patients are often among the most vulnerable in the system — living with conditions such as dementia mate wareware, mental health challenges, or delirium.
They may require constant supervision to prevent falls, self-harm, or the removal of critical medical equipment such as IV lines or feeding tubes.
Christchurch-based health care assistant and NZNO delegate Al Dietschin says the approach is “inherently unsafe”.
Staff have formally raised concerns with local leadership, warning that the combination of short staffing and cohort monitoring increases the likelihood of harm.
“There have already been documented incidents of patient harm directly resulting from the use of these cohort watches,” Dietschin says. “With winter approaching, the situation is now at a critical point.”
The risks are compounded by the realities of day-to-day care. Monitoring multiple distressed or confused patients, sometimes in separate rooms, stretches staff.
Auckland delegate Anamei Graham says this forces workers into constant prioritisation, where critical needs may be delayed or missed.
“It’s not safe for the patients, and it’s not safe for the kaiāwhina watching them,” she says.
The pressure is also taking a toll on staff wellbeing. Reports of stress and burnout are increasing, with many health care assistants feeling unsupported and exposed in high-risk environments.
“We are pulled in all sorts of directions at once, and we are stressed out and burnt out. There are not enough HCAs on the wards and patients, and whānau can feel it,” Graham says.
In some cases, whānau are being asked to step in to help monitor loved ones, despite lacking the training required for such responsibilities.
These concerns come at a time when New Zealand is facing a rapidly ageing population and a projected surge in dementia cases.
Health experts warn that without coordinated planning, the system will struggle to cope with rising demand for complex, high-dependency care.
Dementia mate wareware already represents a significant and growing burden on the health system, with international projections suggesting cases will rise sharply in the coming decades.
While lifestyle interventions and early risk reduction may help delay onset, the immediate challenge lies in ensuring safe, adequate care for those already affected.
For frontline workers, the message is clear: without investment in staffing and long-term planning, both patients and those who care for them will continue to bear the cost.
