The South Island is set to receive 149 additional nursing, midwifery and health care assistant roles this financial year as Health New Zealand responds to pressure on hospital services.

The allocation represents about 39 percent of the 380 full-time equivalent roles announced nationwide. Health NZ has not specified how the South Island positions will be divided among hospitals or districts.

National Chief Nurse Nadine Gray said hospitals had faced significant demand throughout winter, particularly in emergency departments and inpatient services.

“We’re targeting additional staff to the regions, districts and services where we have identified a particular need,” Gray said.

The nationwide total includes 94 new emergency department positions, most of them nursing roles. Health NZ has not said how many of those positions will be in the South Island.

The new roles follow Health NZ’s annual Care Capacity Demand Management calculations, which are used to assess nursing staffing needs across hospital services.

Gray said recruitment was already under way across the health system and workforce plans would continue to be adjusted as demand changed.

Health NZ is also investigating whether minimum nurse-to-patient ratios could improve how it plans staffing. It is developing a business case that will consider ratios alongside other approaches for different types of care.

“We’ve listened to our nursing staff who have told us change is needed,” Gray said.

An independent review earlier this year raised concerns about the consistency and reliability of data used in the current staffing system. It also found the approach did not suit every care setting, including some community and outpatient services.

Health NZ has agreed with the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the Public Service Association to evaluate how nursing requirements should be calculated across different clinical settings.

The review and business case are expected to be completed next year. Any decision to introduce a new staffing approach would follow that work.