Progressive wants a pilot trial in "clinical democracy" in health
The Progressive Party would like the next coalition government to pilot some of its ideas in public health service
delivery, party leader Jim Anderton said today.
"If Progressive is represented at the Cabinet table after Saturday, we'd like to see a pilot district health board or
two empowered to deliver a new kind of hospital service where health professionals are much more directly involved in
DHB decision-making.
"We'd like to ask any District Health Board prepared to put up its hand in a trial of greater clinical democracy whereby
health professionals would be given more say than they currently have in identifying public health problems, setting out
solutions, and then being given the power to implement a plan of action to deliver," Jim Anderton said.
At present, DHBs do have clinical boards, but the Progressive Party's proposed pilot programme envisages empowering
these clinical boards with a far more proactive role in making and implementing policy than at present.
"Progressive wants to trial empowering clinical boards of doctors, nurses and other health professionals with lines of
communication to DHB chief executives and its pilot programme would scale back the role of non-medical management
structures.
"We also want to encourage DHBs to ensure that health professionals in leadership positions and health professionals on
clinical boards are there because they have a democratic mandate from their fellow health professionals." he said.
ENDS