Bungled industrial relations strategy worsening

THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2007

“DHBs’ bungled industrial relations strategy worsening serious hospital doctor shortages and causing cost blow-out; government turning blind eye”

“District health boards’ industrial relations strategy is worsening the serious hospital doctor shortages and causing a cost blow-out while the Government turns a blind eye,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was responding to the leaked DHB document confirming massive resident (junior) doctor shortages.

“Last year the DHBs adopted an aggressive hard-line strategy in their negotiations with resident doctors (which they continued with senior doctors). However, this strategy backfired. It failed to achieve its objective of increasing management control over doctor rosters. Furthermore, it damaged New Zealand’s reputation as a good place for younger doctors to work in and drove many away.”

“This botch up by DHB leaders has had three negative effects:

1. New Zealand is increasingly losing younger doctors overseas, particularly to Australia which at least is honest in recognising that they have serious shortages and is aggressively recruiting from New Zealand to overcome it.

2. Senior doctors are increasingly covering for the resident doctor shortages putting them under unnecessary additional stress and making it more difficult for them to do their own duties.

3. To fill help cover this shortage DHBs are forced to employ locum (temporary) doctors which is much more expensive and causing a cost blow-out. Many resident doctors are learning that it is much more financially attractive to work as temporary rather than permanent doctors or moonlight on much higher rates.”

“This is overwhelmingly due to the ineptitude and short-sightedness of DHB leaders. Their only response is to try to spin their way out of it. There are already signs that this incompetent approach is having a similar effect on senior doctors. Having bungled it last year the response of the DHBs is to repeat the bungle this year. They seem to believe that two bungles make a sensible strategy!”

“It is disappointing that the Government is turning a blind eye to this botch up and taking their lead from DHB ‘spin merchants’. The Government is ignoring the reality of what is happening at the clinical frontline.”

“At least Nelson had a strategy when he turned a blind eye,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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