Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Gaping shortage of hospital specialists in Northland

16 October 2019

A staffing survey carried out by the senior doctors’ union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, has found a gaping shortfall of hospital specialists at the Northland DHB.

ASMS has been looking at senior doctor staffing levels across DHBs since 2016 by surveying clinical leaders in hospital departments.

The aim is to assess how many full-time specialist positions are needed to provide quality and timely treatment for patients.

The Northland survey found an estimated staffing shortage of 36%.

“This was the ninth DHB to be surveyed and this is the most severe shortage we’ve seen so far,” says ASMS Executive Director Ian Powell.

The previous eight DHB surveys revealed shortages ranging from 17-27%.

“It means that Heads of Departments at Northland DHB estimate they need 60 more full-time specialists to provide safe and appropriate care to patients and the community,” Mr Powell says.

Despite that, at the time of the survey, there were only 26 full-time positions officially listed as vacant.

“Having such a low official vacancy rate looks like an attempt to fudge the seriousness of the shortages,” says Mr Powell.

The survey also highlighted the impact of the shortages on senior doctors, their workload, and their ability to treat patients.

· 43% indicated their senior doctors are ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ able to access the recommended level of non-clinical time (a minimum of 30% of hours worked)

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

· 24% said non-clinical time was accessible ‘sometimes’ and 19% said ‘often’.

· 52% felt senior doctors had insufficient time to undertake their training and education duties.

· 61% believed there was inadequate internal backup cover for short-term sick leave, annual leave, continuing medical education leave or for covering training and mentoring duties while staff were away.

· 71% considered there was inadequate access to locums or additional staff to cover for long-term leave.

Asked if the current staffing level was adequate for full use of appropriate leave-taking, as well as non-clinical time and training responsibilities, 86% responded ‘no’.
43% felt staff had adequate time to spend with patients and their families to provide good quality patient-centred care.
“This survey shows a workforce which is under immense pressure in trying to hold the public health system together and it’s not sustainable.”

“Although Northland has the highest level of specialist shortages to date in the nine DHBs surveyed, the extent of these shortages which average 24% is a national crisis. The responsibility for addressing this crisis rests with health bosses both in Government and in DHBs,” Mr Powell says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.