Risks For Health Services In West Coast And Nelson

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ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
SUNDAY 17 MAY 2009

“Top Down Decision-Making Creates Potential Risks For Health Services In West Coast And Nelson-Marlborough”

“Top-down decision-making by health bosses creates potential risks for health services on the West Coast and also possibly for Nelson-Marlborough,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

“Serious risks arise when clinical relationships are forced to follow structural changes. For example, there is a web of clinical relationships between the West Coast and Christchurch Hospital which has worked very well for the people of West Coast. On the other hand, for equally logical reasons Nelson Marlborough has important clinical relations with Wellington Hospital. Whatever the future structure of the two DHBs, these relationships must not be jeopardised.”

“Senior doctors strongly support closer collaboration and coordination between DHBs. But this must be consistent with current and developing clinical relationships. Structural changes should follow rather than lead clinical relationships. Consequently senior doctors need to be in the engine-room of decision instead of being marginalised into a reactive role.”

“Last year senior doctors signed the Time for Quality agreement with the 21 DHBs. Recently the government announced the In Good Hands report as policy. Both policy statements promote the importance of clinical leadership including health professionals taking the lead role in how clinical services should be organised and delivered.”

“If the future relationship between the West Coast and Nelson Marlborough DHBs is to work well and not cause risks to health services, then the principles of clinical leadership that DHBs are expected to adhere to must be allowed to shape DHB decision-making” concluded Mr Powell.

ENDS

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