Patient Care Still At Risk From Govt’s Deep Cuts To Health IT Workers

The Government is deliberately ignoring risks to patient safety and the security of sensitive information as it green lights damaging cuts to specialist IT health workers.

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora today confirmed deep cuts to the Data and Digital team, with impacted staff informed of their roles being disestablished and redeployment opportunities in the new structure.

"These cuts are dangerous - they threaten patient care and ignore the risks of sensitive patient information falling prey to cyber-attacks," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

PSA legal action over the original restructure resulted in 175 roles being added back into the Data and Digital team, but there will still be a much smaller team with 758 vacant roles being disestablished.

"The cuts just go too deep and too wide if the Government expects to deliver the timely and quality patient care it’s promising New Zealanders.

"IT workers play a vital role in building a modern, secure and effective health system - ensuring clinicians can access patient records 24/7, maintaining ageing legacy systems, and integrating new nationwide IT systems.

"Now more than ever, Te Whatu Ora should be retaining a much larger workforce of highly skilled data and digital experts, but it’s bowing to pressure from the Government to slash numbers with little regard to consequences.

"We are seeing this reckless approach throughout the public sector and the price will be paid in the degrading of services New Zealanders need.

"The PSA remains deeply concerned that sensitive patient information will be at greater risk from cyber security breaches because of these cuts. We urge the Privacy Commissioner to reconsider his refusal to investigate these changes before they are set in concrete."

Note:

Previous statement

23 April PSA forces changes to restructure of Data & Digital and Pacific Health

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

© Scoop Media