Recognition of prolonged public hospital specialist shortage

3 November 2014

Recognition of prolonged public hospital specialist shortages welcomed

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) has welcomed publication of a Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) report as the organisation’s first official recognition of prolonged medical specialist shortages in public hospitals.

“It reinforces what we have been saying for some time about the vulnerability of hospital specialists. It’s good to see a government agency acknowledging these issues,” says Ian Powell, ASMS Executive Director.

HWNZ published two reports yesterday, one on the health of the health workforce and the other on the government agency’s own role in the health sector.

Mr Powell says one of those reports, The Role of Health Workforce New Zealand, identified public hospital medical specialists as vulnerable, and advised that the impact of prolonged medical labour market shortages on DHB-employed senior doctors was the most important issue for HWNZ’s Medical Workforce Taskforce to address.

Specifically, the report says on page 13:

While the Taskforce initially focused on the immediate postgraduate period, it has now adopted a whole-of-career perspective. The most important issue currently is the impact of a prolonged period of medical labour market shortages on the workloads, wellbeing and productivity of DHB-employed senior doctors. Other areas under consideration, some of which are directly related, include the distribution and long-term retention, including retirement intentions, of doctors trained in New Zealand and overseas. Leadership opportunities in systems improvement and innovation, consistent with the In Good Hands report on clinical leadership, are another focus for the Taskforce.

The HWNZ reports follow publication of an ASMS report in August, called Taking the Temperature of the Public Hospital Specialist Workforce. This report concluded New Zealand is falling well short of the number of hospital specialists needed now and in the future. It reaffirmed that entrenched specialist shortages have become the norm in public hospitals.

The ASMS report is available at www.asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Taking-the-temperature-of-the-public-hospital-specialist-workforce-August-2014-FINAL.pdf.

“We are keen to work constructively with the government through Health Workforce NZ in addressing the causes and effects of chronic specialist shortages in public hospitals and avoid the risks this pressure creates for quality and safe patient care.”

ENDS

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