DHBs make formal offer of settlement to Senior Doctors

2pm - 31 October 2016

DHBs make formal offer of settlement to Senior Doctors.

District Health Boards have formally offered senior doctors a $180 million package to settle their current pay claim.

The offer covers just over 5000 Senior Medical Officers and Senior Dental Officers, Medical Officers and Dental Officers working in 20 District Health Boards.

Nick Chamberlain, CEO of Northland DHB and spokesperson for the negotiations, says the package of measures is a fair offer providing increases in salary and allowances, as well as improvements in a number of conditions.

“It is in line with other health settlements and it also recognises the important role senior doctors play in managing the delivery of specialist services in hospitals.

“Our offer ranges between 5% and 7.8% over three years which is pretty good given the current and predicted level of inflation. We also think it balances the need to recognise the important role of our senior clinicians with the financial constraints on hospitals.”

The pay talks began in May and Dr Chamberlain says DHBs have been invited to provide further information supporting the offer to the senior doctors’ association conference in three weeks.

“We’ve provided details of the offer to senior doctors at the invitation of their union, we look forward to discussing it further with them and answering any questions about the detail.

“Senior doctors are highly skilled, thoroughly professional and hard working – their pay and conditions reflect that, and the offer we’ve made is fair and reasonable.

“There are many parts to this deal including Continuing Medical Education, employee well-being and how we can better involve this key group in the planning and management of specialist hospital services,” says Dr Chamberlain.

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