Executive Direct - Issue 2010-2
5 May 2010
Dear Member
This is the second issue for 2010 of our electronic publication, Executive Direct, to report to members on National Executive news. The intention is to forward it to members after each Executive meeting (at least). It reports on the last Executive meeting on 29 April. The next Executive meeting is scheduled for 1 July.
2. National DHB MECA Negotiations including First Joint Workshop
3. Watering down of Reporting Guidelines for In Good Hands
4. Resignation of Torben Iversen
1. PASSING AWAY OF JOHN HAWKE
The National Executive paid tribute to the passing away of John Hawke, former National President and the ASMS’s first Life Member. Several fond memories and respectful recollections of him and his character were discussed. The June issue of The Specialist will include a tribute to him from Dr James Judson. Appreciation for John’s outstanding contributions made over a professional lifetime was also expressed in the last issue of ASMS Direct.
2. NATIONAL DHB MECA NEGOTIATIONS INCLUDING FIRST JOINT WORKSHOP
The National Executive considered the first of the four MECA workshops held on 28 April. It was informal and within the framework of ‘Chatham House Rules’. The Executive was generally pleased and encouraged with the first workshop which comprised around 40 participants from the ASMS and DHBs. It was co-facilitated by ASMS National President, Jeff Brown and the Chair of the National Human Resource General Managers Group, Sam Bartrum (Counties Manukau). The subject matter was the status of the senior medical workforce in DHBs. While it is not appropriate to comment on the details of the discussion the National Executive was heartened that for the first time in national discussions with the ASMS, DHB national representatives were prepared to recognise that DHBs faced a serious recruitment and retention problem. Discussion was generally very constructive.
Negotiations formally commence on 14 May although fiscal issues such as remuneration will not be discussed at this stage. The second MECA workshop will be held on 18 May; the topic is the Australian medical labour market.
Further details on the ASMS’s strategic direction are outlined in the previously circulated Bargaining Bulletin and the March issue of The Specialist. These publications are also available on the ASMS website www.asms.org.nz.
3. WATERING DOWN OF REPORTING GUIDELINES FOR IN GOOD HANDS
The National Executive is concerned about the watering down of the reporting guidelines for In Good Hands, a government policy statement on clinical leadership in DHBs that the ASMS had an important part in developing. In Good Hands is a further development on the Time for Quality national agreement between the ASMS and DHBs signed in 2008. The former calls for comprehensive clinician leadership at all levels of DHBs including devolving decision-making as much as practical to the level of the work unit or department. The teeth of In Good Hands are the reporting requirements on implementation. To facilitate this, the Minister of Health, on the initiative of the ASMS, established a working group to recommend reporting guidelines. The working group, which included ASMS National President, Jeff Brown, did its job with recommended questions to be sent to the DHBs and, further, it recommended that local joint consultative bodies, such as our Joint Consultation Committees, were engaged in evaluation of the responses before being sent to the Ministry of Health.
So far so good. However, the outcome is quite different having the effect of burying In Good Hands. The questions were rewritten and watered down by the National Health Board (as part of the Ministry of Health) before being sent to DHBs and without the expectation of the involvement of joint consultative bodies such as the JCCs. Although forwarded to DHBs on 23 December none have raised this at any of the JCCs to date.
The National Executive was very disappointed about this devaluing of clinical engagement and leadership in the context of In Good Hands. Consequently it agreed that this matter should be pursued with DHBs through Joint Consultation Committees and the National Consultation Committee. We will also be raising this with the Minister of Health.
Further, given the loss of confidence of the commitment to clinical leadership and engagement, the National Executive has decided to collaborate with Dr Robin Gauld, Associate Professor of Health Policy, University of Otago Medical School, on a survey of the ASMS’s full DHB employed membership on the implementation of In Good Hands in DHBs.
4. RESIGNATION OF TORBEN IVERSEN
Torben Iversen advised that he would be resigning from the National Executive following his acceptance of a position in Australia. He represents an interesting variant of the specialist drain to Australia working three out of four weeks in Victoria with every fourth week working in Gisborne for Tairawhiti DHB.
Dr Iversen is one of two representatives from Region 3 which encompasses the regions of the Tairawhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Whanganui, MidCentral, Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs. The other representative from Region 3 is Dr Tim Frendin (Hawke’s Bay).
He gave a heartfelt and moving appreciation for the ASMS and the members of the National Executive. The National Executive in turn expressed their appreciation for his contribution to the Association both as an Executive member and as the Tairawhiti branch representative.
A by-election is now underway. Members in Region 3 (both DHB and non-DHB employed) should receive the official notification of the by-election in the next few days if they have not already done so. It is hoped that the successful candidate will be able to attend the next Executive meeting on 1 July.
5. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
The National Executive further discussed proposed amendments to the ASMS Constitution intended to improve the functioning and effectiveness of our branch structures, including the role of branch officers. This work commenced last year and a discussion paper was considered at our 2009 Annual Conference. After considering feed-back and further discussion, the National Executive approved recommended amendments which will be considered by the 2010 Annual Conference. Advice of the proposed amendments will be forwarded to branches in due course.
6. OTHER MATTERS
Other matters discussed by the National Executive included:
1. The ASMS’s membership year is 1 April-31 March. For the 11th successive year membership has increased (to 3,496 of which 3,402 are DHB employed) but 2009-10 was the smallest increase over these 11 years. It was noted that the overall decline in the total number of eligible members was consistent with other indicators that past increases in the DHBs’ senior medical workforce has levelled off. This is consistent with the ASMS’s assessment that we have a senior medical workforce crisis in DHBs.
2. The ASMS has begun an electronic survey of members who resigned from the ASMS since January 2010. Although the sample is too small to make robust conclusions, migrating to Australia does appear to be significant especially when retirements are discounted.
3. The National Executive approved a recommendation to ‘spruce’ up the ASMS website. In particular, this will involve making it a more natural place for members and the public to go to for information about senior doctors and dentists, both industrially and on other issues.
4. With the merger of the Otago and Southland DHBs into the new Southern DHB effective on 1 May, New Zealand now has 20 DHBs. Terms and conditions of ASMS members employed by the two merged boards remain unchanged (as they do for other employees). However, the ASMS has agreed with Southern DHB that a formal variation to the MECA is also required replacing Otago and Southland with Southern DHB as employer parties. This would also preserve the various provisions in the schedules to the MECA which contain different provisions (eg, availability allowance) for what are now the Otago and Southland parts of the new DHB. The National Executive approved the recommended variation which will now be forwarded to Southern DHB.
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE: REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
In addition to the National President, Jeff Brown (MidCentral) and Vice President, David Jones (Capital & Coast), the Executive comprises eight regional representatives. They are:
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Region 1 (Northland, Waitemata, Auckland, Counties Manukau) | |
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Himadri Seth (Waitemata) |
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Judy Bent (Auckland) |
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Region 2 (Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Taranaki) | |
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Paul Wilson (Bay of Plenty) |
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John Bonning (Waikato) |
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Region 3 (Tairawhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Whanganui, MidCentral, Wairarapa, Hutt Valley, Capital & Coast) | |
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Tim Frendin (Hawke’s Bay) |
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Second Region 3 position vacant pending by-election outcome | |
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Region 4 (South Island) | |
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Brian Craig (Canterbury) |
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John MacDonald (Canterbury) |
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Members are welcome to raise issues and comments with their regional representatives above by clicking on the relevant hyperlink. This includes non-DHB employed members who work in the geographic area of these regions.
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
