Bertrand Bargolias may want to reconsider his unblinding faith in socialised medicine. Plunket is struggling to recruit new staff because of pay inequities with other nurses. These Nurses are on the front line in building a safer and healthier environment for children.

This is a normal and predictable result of having a single service supplier (in this case the DHB) - standards fall, and wages for all the employees come under pressure. The employer either gives in or the staff move to where the money is. I assume that this pay inequity has worsened since the Government in a magnanimous gesture made the extraordinary wage increase to state sector Nurses. The law of unintended consequences always strikes when politicians meddle in commercial affairs.

In Bargolias' case this might be personal as he blogged his Mum is a Plunket Nurse.

A very humorous piece of satire sums the ludicrousness of the situation up nicely - Socialised laundry, a satire on socialised medicine.