LEAD STORY: 12 Cranford nurses go | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

Twelve Cranford Hospice nursing staff have lost their jobs under the hospice's restructured services after a series of interviews this week.

The 12 have been offered redundancy packages.

Twenty staff were successfully re-employed to continue hospice in-patient and community care services.

The successful applicants included 15 registered nurses, three enrolled nurses and two care associates.

Cranford Hospice change manager John Newland said there were limited positions available. Applicants were chosen for their clinical abilities by a panel made up of three senior HB District Health Board staff and Cranford chief executive Barry Keane.

Mr Newland said the audit issued last month was critical of part-time staffing numbers and under restructuring there was "a need to make sure that the people employed were happy to work more hours in the week".

Under the temporary restructure, which has seen inpatients transferred to Hawke's Bay Hospital for six months, the hospice's enrolled nurses would take on clerical duties.

Registered nurses would work a combination of in-patient and community care services.

Mr Newland said: "It was also important that nursing personnel were willing to work in a combination of community care and in the hospital."

Cranford nurses who were unsuccessful in their application and those who did not apply would be offered the Employee Assistance Programme which included counselling and career advice.

DHB chief executive Kevin Snee said: "The DHB looked forward to working with this new team and creating a specialist palliative care service that met the needs of its patients."