Key points:
- Health NZ Te Whatu Ora is consulting with staff on restructure proposals across a number of teams
- The Public Service Association says nearly 1500 jobs — of which about 700 were vacant — are proposed to be cut
- The health agency disputes the union’s figures of proposed disestablished roles
A union and researchers are concerned further job losses proposed at Health NZ Te Whatu Ora may impact its ability to deliver on Government targets, including the renewed Smokefree 2025 action plan.
Yesterday the Public Service Association (PSA) announced that nearly 1500 jobs could be cut across four business units — Data and Digital, the National Public Health Service, Hauora Māori Health Service and Pacific Health.
The PSA said about 700 of the roles to go were currently vacant because of a freeze on recruitment.
Health NZ said the PSA’s estimated number of roles proposed to be disestablished was “wrong” and comments made in relation to the figure were “highly misleading”.
The union’s Ashok Shankar told Breakfast that approximately 1120 jobs were proposed to go from Te Whatu Ora’s data and digital team, and 358 from the National Public Health Service.
He said roughly 58 “Pacific Island roles” were proposed to be disestablished, along with “a number of other roles” on top of the more than 400 roles that were voluntarily made redundant last month.
“There was another 1000-odd roles who were made [redundant] in the last round of restructuring, so we have lost already under this current proposal, about 3500 jobs out of the public health service.”
Shankar said he understood Health NZ disputed the figures put forward by PSA.
He said health was provided by a “team of health workers” from both the front and back line.
“I’m seeing people in the background who do their darnedest to stop people getting sick, so that the people in the front line don’t have to spend the huge amounts of money it takes when people become ill.”
Shankar said maintaining the current IT system from the ’70s and ’80s, rather than upgrading to bring the technology into the “modern age”, will impact Kiwis.
“We want the Government to stop these senseless cuts. It is going to hurt Kiwis getting healthcare. It will not show up immediately, but once it shows up it will lead to very severe outcomes and we can’t quantify how many people might lose their lives because of it.”
The proposal comes as the Government launched a new Te Whatu Ora Health NZ action plan yesterday which outlines the final push to achieve a long-running Smokefree 2025 goal.
Tobacco researcher and Health Coalition Aotearoa spokesperson Chris Bullen told Breakfast that New Zealand “won’t reach the goal”.
“On the one hand the Government is announcing its new Smokefree plan, but on the other hand they’re taking away some of the essential people we need to put that plan in effect.”
He said what’s in the plan currently “wasn’t bad”, but it needed to employ effective strategies with a “top down approach”.
“What we know is if we had taken the nicotine out of tobacco, we would have had a dramatic equitable impact on smoking rates in New Zealand and probably would have met the 5% smoking goal and beyond.
“It is concerning that across the board, the prevalence of smoking perhaps appears to have even gone up a bit … we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal this year and beyond.”
Te Whatu Ora responds to PSA figures
In a statement, a Health NZ spokesperson said it was “absolutely committed to a strong focus on health promotion for New Zealanders”.
“The figure given today [Wednesday] by the PSA regarding the National Public Health Service (NPHS) is wrong and comments in relation to it are highly misleading.”
The organisation said the proposed net reduction in NPHS roles was 57, which was a percentage reduction of 4.6%.
“We are focused on strengthening frontline public health services, with more clinical leadership, provided closer to communities,” the spokesperson said.
“Health NZ will also continue to invest in IT systems and data and digital services.”
Bishop, McAnulty react
National MP Chris Bishop told Breakfast: “We’ve put a record amount into health.
“But we are trying to move resources from the back office to the front line.
“I understand that a lot of the roles that are being talked about are already vacant,” he added.
Bishop pointed to a funding boost announced earlier this week that the Government said will enable the employment of 50 new senior doctors, as well as additional specialist nurses and other health professionals.
“So this is part of that story.”
National’s Chris Bishop and Labour’s Kieran McAnulty discussed the latest round of proposed cuts. (Source: Breakfast)
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, however, disagreed. He said people “know instinctively” that the proposed cuts are “hitting the front line”.
“People are looking around at the health centres in their local communities and they’re seeing that people are struggling.
“They’re seeing that there aren’t enough nurses and aren’t enough doctors,” he said.
“It really affects their day-to-day lives.”
