24 October 2024
Andrew F
[FYI request #28234 email]
Tēnā koe Andrew
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00066898
Thank you for your request which was transferred to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health
NZ) from WorkSafe on 1 October 2024, asking for the following under the Of icial Information Act
1982 (the Act):
Please provide data on work-related injuries and il nesses in medical facilities operated by
the Ministry of Health over the last five years where inadequate staffing was mentioned as
a contributing factor.
Response
We have interpreted your request as seeking information on work-related injuries and work-related
illnesses in hospitals operated by Health NZ. Health NZ has a national collection of health and
safety incidents filed by our staff across the organisation. This data collection at the national level
began in October 2022 following the establishment of Health NZ on 1 July 2022.
Our national incident reporting covers staf health and safety. The records that we have do not
contain the level of detail to determine whether inadequate staffing was a factor in health and
safety incidents. We can provide some national level data on the number of ACC injury claims by
Health NZ staff from October 2022, however we do not record the reasons or factors which have
led to those claims being made. We therefore refuse your request under section 18(e) of the Act as
the information does not exist.
We also contacted ACC to inquire whether it collects data that could address this question.
We were advised that it likewise does not collect this information as ACC is a no-fault scheme.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Sue Gordon
Head of Health, Safety, Wellbeing and Organisation Resilience
People and Culture
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand