ASMS

The head of the senior doctors’ union has commended hospital specialists at Canterbury District Health Board for drawing attention to significant problems with Christchurch Hospital’s planning process. “It’s another example of hospital specialists speaking out about their serious concerns regarding the impact on hospital facilities of the effects of sustained and continued periods of under-funding,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was commenting on reports that heads of department and other hospital …

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To relieve the mounting pressure on health services, the divide between hospitals and community health services must be fixed, according to a Research Brief published today by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). “Government policy is to work as ‘one team’ but very little is being done to act on it,” says ASMS Senior Researcher and Policy Advisor Lyndon Keene. “Canterbury District Health Board has developed a world-leading model to integrate hospital and community services with promising results.  But …

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A significant tightening in District Health Board mental health funding has been revealed as the Government appears to be shuffling money around mental health. In a joint working paper analysis of Budget 2019, Council of Trade Unions Economist Bill Rosenberg and Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Director of Policy and Research Lyndon Keene estimate, in real terms, a $55 million shortfall in DHBs’ mental health funding that is ring-fenced for those with severe needs. “The high threshold to be eligible …

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A post-Budget analysis of Vote Health funding has confirmed that health spending as a proportion of the economy continues to fall well short of what is needed. Jointly conducted by the Council of Trade Unions and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, it estimates Vote Health has lost $1.6 billion spending power in the past decade. It comes as a newly released Ministry of Health financial report puts projected District Health Board deficits at $508 million this year. ASMS Executive …

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“The size of hospital deficits is yet another sign the Government needs to invest more in the health workforce, including hospital specialists,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). “It might seem counter-intuitive to suggest spending more money when DHBs are already in the red but spending it in the right ways – for example, by providing more specialists to diagnose and treat patients, and actively supporting greater clinical leadership – would be a …

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The senior doctors’ union is welcoming the Government’s announcement of improvements to cancer care. “It will go some way to improving the care available for people living with cancer and their families, and it will be welcome news for hospital specialists who provide cancer treatment,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was commenting on the Government’s announcement that it will replace aging radiation machines and for the first time make radiation treatment …

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ASMS Executive Director Ian Powell gave a speech, entitled Toughen up David; the fires are burning and you are running out of time, at the Hospital and Community Dentistry Conference, held in Napier today. Read the speech here: Toughen up David – Address to Hospital and Community Dentistry Conference Napier 27 July 2019

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One of the country’s largest district health boards has a severe shortage of hospital specialists, says the senior doctors’ union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). Executive Director Ian Powell says a survey of departmental heads at Waikato District Health Board reveals the DHB needs another 48.6 full-time equivalent (27.6%) specialists – but at the time of the survey it was advertising just 25.5 FTE vacancies. Mr Powell says the Waikato DHB Resource Review released to staff by the …

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“Reducing the number of district health boards will not magically resolve the heavy burdens of financial deficits and workforce shortages in our hospitals,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was commenting on an article arguing for a reduction in the number of DHBs to save money and time on both governance and senior management (https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/113866554/we-need-to-slash-the-number-of-district-health-boards). “Having fewer DHBs might look attractive at first glance but it’s erroneous to think it will …

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Wealthy countries have a responsibility to consider the impact of hiring doctors from poorer countries and try to minimise the practice, says Dr Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General of the World Medical Association. Dr Kloiber, of Germany, is a guest speaker at the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists 30th anniversary conference in Wellington today. New Zealand relies heavily on international medical graduates, and was second only to Israel on this measure on a table of OECD countries displayed by Dr Kloiber. …

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