Mâori voice for health workforce issues

Mâori voice for health workforce issues

A new group dealing with Mâori health workforce issues says its first job will be to identify initiatives that will boost recruitment of Mâori into health training courses.

The Mâori Health and Disability Workforce Sub-Committee, a new Sub-Committee of the Health Workforce Advisory Committee (HWAC), has held its first meeting and is enthusiastic about the possibilities to influence Mâori health workforce issues.

Chair Colin Mantell says the group is excited about its tasks and challenges ahead. He says there are formidable barriers to recruitment of Mâori into all areas of the Mâori health and disability workforce.

“There must be more encouragement and support for Mâori students to qualify for tertiary health programmes and there needs to be opportunities for second-chance learning and help with such things as managing student debt, all of which are currently holding back entry to courses and recruitment”.

“We also believe that health providers (both DHBs and Mâori providers) need to play a more active role in encouraging young people within their communities into health as a career,” says Prof Mantell.

The Mâori Health and Disability Sub-Committee was established following a HWAC summit last year, when it was identified that a national Mâori group capable of strong leadership was needed. The establishment of the Sub-Committee and the appointment of a new Mâori member to HWAC, Taima Campbell, were approved by the Minister of Health, Hon Annette King.

Members of the Sub-Committee have considerable experience in both clinical and management aspects of health – both population health and Mâori health. Committee members are:

Taima Campbell (nô Ngâti Tamaterâ me Ngâti Maru) Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, ADHB Dr Paratene Ngata (nô Ngâti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti me Ngâti Ira) General Practitioner Fiona Pimms (nô Ngâi Tahu) Chief Executive Office, He Oranga Poumanu Lynette Stewart (nô Ngâtiwai, Ngâtihene me Tainui) Chairperson, NDHB Haydn Wano (nô Taranaki, Te Atiawa me Ngâti Awa) Chair, Taranaki DHB Prof Colin Mantell (nô Ngâi Tahu) Chair Tumuaki, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland

The Sub-Committee is charged with four specific tasks. To:

¨ Provide independent advice on Mâori health workforce development issues to the Minister of Health

¨ Facilitate the collaboration between health providers and education providers on where to allocate Mâori health workforce funding

¨ Monitor other organisations on their delivery of Mâori health workforce development e.g. Tertiary Education Commission Clinical Training Agency

¨ Monitor and evaluate the implementation of HWAC’s recommendations to the Minister of Health

Prof Mantell says the Sub-Committee is confident of its clearly defined relationship with HWAC. “Our recommendations will go through HWAC for comment with the rider that our views, if different to HWAC, will nevertheless be forwarded to the Minister,” he says.

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