Management challenges faced by managers of New Zealand long-term care facilities

Abstract

This article reports on a postal survey of 78 long-term care managers in one region ofNew- Zealand, of whom 45 (58%) responded. Most long-term care managers (73.2%) weremiddle-aged females holding nursing but not management qualifications. Most long-termcare facilities (69%) tended to be stand-alone facilities providing a single type of care (resthome or continuing care hospital). The most prominent issues facing managers wereconsidered to be inadequate funding to match the growing costs of providing long-term careand occupancy levels. Managers believed that political/regulatory, economic and social factorsinfluenced these issues. Despite a turbulent health care environment and the challenges facingmanagers, long-term care managers reported they were coping well and valued networking.