Wellington.ScoopIt’s hard to deny reports from nurses when they describe the effect of staff shortages at Wellington Hospital. But Health New Zealand always seems to respond by claiming that things aren’t as bad as the nurses are experiencing. At Wellington Children’s Hospital NZNO delegate Mel Anderson says staff shortages mean nurses are increasingly forced to focus only on the most urgent tasks. Health NZ sees things differently:Health NZ said the Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley nursing workforce had grown by almost 700 since 2023, while national nurse numbers had increased by more than 3500. In spite of such official optimism, the NZ Nurses Organisation was this week seeking assurances from Health NZ about continuing staff shortages in Wellington Hospital’s Emergency Department, after what it called a “damning report from the Health and Disability Commissioner.