Delays in recruiting anaesthetists to allow extra acute surgery at Dunedin Hospital illustrates the country's continuing specialist workforce crisis, Associated Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell says.  It was a situation that people could expect to see around the country, with different types of specialists, until there was national responsibility for recruiting and retaining senior doctors, he said. Mr Powell was commenting on yesterday's Otago Daily Times article that explained the extra 35 hours a week of acute theatre time at Dunedin Hospital had been delayed until March when it had previously been hoped it would go ahead in November.

"Overworked public hospital specialists want all politicians to make a New Year’s resolution committing them to actively support reducing their heavy workloads,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the ASMS, today.  “Specialist shortages mean that too much work is being left on too few shoulders. Compared with other developed countries, many specialists in New Zealand are on after-hours call duties covering emergencies, too often and with too little support.”

“The delay in the expansion of acute surgery at Dunedin Hospital is another example of New Zealand’s continuing specialist workforce crisis,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the ASMS, today.  “The planned expansion of acute operating by 35 hours per week has had to be delayed to at least March. One of the major reasons is the shortage of anaesthetists.This regrettable situation will keep repeating itself in different forms ... until our health bosses take responsibility for New Zealand’s vulnerability in recruiting and retaining senior doctors.”

The bitter industrial dispute at the Port of Auckland has raised a number of serious issues which go beyond the port itself including casualisation, contracting out, privatisation, stability of hours of work, and adherence to good faith bargaining over a collective agreement.  The Council of Trade Unions has forwarded to its affiliates a brief outline of the dispute which follows ...

The new health targets announced today will assist in controlling chronic and preventable diseases, but the Government needs to broaden its focus.  NZMA Chair Dr Paul Ockelford said the Government’s health targets are commendable but the emphasis on targets and throughput measures is flawed.  “The health targets do not give a full picture of how our health system is performing because of the difficulty of linking these targets to information about patient and public health outcomes. We need to shift the focus from operational measures to an ‘end-game’ strategy, or in other words, defining what succeeding in health is really about.”

The British Medical Association, the trade union for 130,000 doctors and medical students, has threatened its first industrial action in more than 30 years after rejecting pension reforms.  Announcing the results of a UK-wide survey of members, the BMA said eight out of 10 respondents had rejected the pension proposals, which include higher contributions and working for longer. Raising the spectre of its first unrest since 1975, the union added that two-thirds of those who took part in the poll would be prepared to take industrial action.

We welcome any feedback on the contents of the 29th (and final) issue for 2011 of ASMS Direct, our national electronic publication. This issue covers the following items:

1. National DHB MECA Ratified
2. December issue of The Specialist
3. Conference presentations on website
4. Christmas-New Year

We welcome any feedback on the contents of the 28^th issue for 2011 of ASMS Direct, our national electronic publication. This issue covers:

• Membership ballotof provisional agreement over national DHB MECA
• 40th Anniversary, University of Otago, Christchurch, rescheduled
• Locked-out meat employees seek financial support
• Reminder: Nominations called for Medical Council

We welcome any feedback on the contents of the 27^th issue for 2011 of ASMS Direct, our national electronic publication. This issue covers the following matters:

• Reminder: Membership ballot on provisional agreement for the next National DHB MECA
• More on the ‘800 extra hospital doctors’ controversy
• Nominations called for Medical Council
• Medical Council Consultation: Proposed framework for the regulation of “special interests”

This is the 5^th issue for 2011 of our electronic publication, Executive Direct, to report to members on National Executive news. Much of the meeting was devoted to the national DHB MECA negotiations and the organisation of the ASMS Annual Conference the following two days. These are being reported separately. This Executive Direct discusses some of the other matters discussed including: Health Benefits Ltd; Health Workforce NZ's proposal on prioritisation criteria for funding training for medical specialists; a summary report back on the 2011 Salary Survey; and two Medical Council matters. 

This is the 4^th issue for 2011 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 1 September. The next Executive meeting is scheduled for 16 November (immediately prior to the ASMS Annual Conference).  A feature of the meeting was a session for over an hour with the Chair of the National Health Board (Ministry of Health) Murray Horn and its National Director Chai Chuah. It was interactive and constructive with the Executive impressed by their willingness to listen, question and engage. Much of the discussion was around the issues of clinical engagement and leadership. 

This is the 3rd issue for 2011 of our electronic publication, Executive Direct, to report to members on National Executive news.  It reports on the last Executive meeting on 23 June. The next Executive meeting is scheduled for 1 September.