1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: The oppositions having a crack at Health New Zealand and 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: the government. The agency spent eighty five million dollars more 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: on consultants and contractors in the year to June twenty 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: twenty four than it did in the year to June 5 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. Now some caveats on this. That includes 6 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: all but half, well about half actually of labour's time 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: and power, and it also includes people and comms. An 8 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: increase in people in comms. Now people means hr. I 9 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: think comm's meaning communication staff. That's blown out from twenty 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: seven million dollars to sixty one, it's doubled. The Health 11 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: Agency is putting the spending increase down to a global 12 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: shortage of health workers. The roles hired on a contracting 13 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: basis are needed to fulfill time workforce gaps, according to 14 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: the department. Sarah Dalton's with the Association of Salary Medical Specialists. 15 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: She's the executive director there and she's with us this morning. 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: This is AzID be Exclusive. Good morning, Sarah, Good morning, Ryan. 17 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 1: How I I'm very well, thank you. I'm assuming on 18 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: the face of it you would support them spending more 19 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: money to fill gaps that need to be filled. 20 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, on the face of it, we would obviously, you know, 21 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:11,680 Speaker 2: if you and I are our family go to hospital, 22 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 2: we want to know that there are other clinicians there 23 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: to provide good care, right, Yeah, So. 24 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: That's good, So we're happy. Case closed. 25 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 2: I wish it were that simple. So we would like 26 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: to see Fatwater Health New Zealand putting that money into 27 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 2: recruiting and retaining permanent staff, and that they haven't got 28 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 2: the balance right there. So every hospital system will require 29 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 2: local cover. Sometimes they're basically temporary or casual doctors or 30 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,279 Speaker 2: other staff who can fill gaps. But this health system 31 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: continues to rely too heavily on locoms to run hospitals. 32 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: It means staff and remains fragile, and it means it's 33 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: really expensive. 34 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: We're never going to get that right though. I mean, 35 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: I mean we've got actually an opposition party here criticizing 36 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: a budget which they were half responsible for, which probably 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: just goes to show you that no matter who's in power, 38 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: we're going to be using locans up the Marzu. 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 2: No, I still think that the balance is wrong. We 40 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 2: are still waiting to see a comprehensive workforce plan and 41 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 2: a workforce census that says actually Health New Zealand knows 42 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 2: specifically where the people are, where the specific shortages are, 43 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: and what the plan is to address them. You know, 44 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 2: the twenty twenty three Workforce Plan identified seventeen hundred doctors 45 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 2: missing from the system. This year's budget made no reference 46 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 2: to those known vacancies in terms of how they were 47 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 2: funding or how they were working to fill those gaps. 48 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: And this year's Health Workforce Plan is missing an action. 49 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 2: I asked the minister about it. He says, it's with cabinet. 50 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: Okay, a lot of things with cabinet at the moment. 51 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: Hey just randomly a lot of stories about us importing. 52 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: You know, we've got new registrations for doctors coming in 53 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: from Ireland and England and Australia and stuff. They're making 54 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: up a greater percentage of our new registrations than locally 55 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: trained doctors. Same story going with nurses. Is that really 56 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: a big problem? Who cares? Where if my doctor was 57 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: trained in Australia or here, they're still going to do 58 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: the same operation on me, aren't they. 59 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, so we always rely heavily on overseas trained doctors. 60 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 2: That isn't new. Upwards of forty five percent of our 61 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 2: senior doctors intend to sew overseas trained. We still don't 62 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 2: even come close to training as many as we need 63 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 2: here and we would like a greater investment in that. 64 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 2: So on the face of it, as long as those 65 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 2: doctors have are appropriately training, qualified and learn a bit 66 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 2: about what it means to work in New Zealand, that 67 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 2: isn't a massive problem. Although we think having a sensible 68 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: mix of locally and overseas trained doctors helps in terms 69 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 2: of again sustainable workforce. 70 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: Because I suppose they could all bugger off at some point, 71 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: couldn't they all? Or a pandemic or a war comes along, 72 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: they all go home and we left with no one 73 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: to do the operations. Sarah, thank you very much for that. 74 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. 75 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 76 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: to News Talks at b from five am weekdays, or 77 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.