Nurses express support for Debbie Chin

Media Release 21 July 2017

Debbie Chin an excellent leader and manager

NZNO is alarmed to hear today of the resignation of Debbie Chin, Chief Executive of Capital and Coast DHB. Many members and staff are personally upset to see how the ongoing underfunding of the DHB has caused a highly capable leader to leave the top post.

NZNO Chief Executive Memo Musa says this is fourth chief executive to resign because of underfunding of CCDHB, which has been ongoing for many years. Debbie Chin has previously worked as the deputy director-general at the Ministry of Health and as a health adviser for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Ms Chin brought twenty years of public service experience to the job.

“We are actually shocked and disappointed that the impossible task of running a DHB, providing good services to the community of Wellington as well as other DHBs in the Central region, without enough funds, has taken another head. This really should ring loud and long alarm bells to Treasury and to Government that underfunding of the DHBs is causing havoc,” Memo Musa said.

“Our nurses, organisers, professional nurse advisors and senior staff have excellent working relationships with Ms Chin and many are personally upset she is leaving when she has been an absolute rock and a great leader for the DHB.”

The Council of Trade Unions’ breakdown of Budget 2017 reveals health underfunding leaves the Wellington region short by at least $9 million this year alone. Memo Musa highlights a December 2016 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers showing that CCDHB proportion of the budget spent on nursing was low compared with Auckland, Counties-Manukau, Waitemata and Canterbury.

“It therefore seem unimaginable more cost reductions are being demanded, when the issue is that of underfunding – there are no more efficiencies to be found, and cutting costs, especially in staffing, has the potential to lead to unsafe staffing and working environments for nurses,” Memo Musa said.

NZNO Organiser for Wellington, Georgia Choveaux:

“On behalf of the nurses, I acknowledge Ms Chin’s partnership based approach to working with the nurses’ organisation. We found her to be a CE always willing to engage with us on the issues that mattered most. Many will be upset at this bad news,” she said.

Ends.

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