ASMS

The ASMS 29th Annual Conference is being held in Wellington tomorrow and Friday, with a stimulating line-up of speakers on topics relevant to the work of senior doctors and dentists. Speakers include: National President Dr Hein Stander The new Minister of Health, Dr David Clark Dr Victoria Atkinson, CMO and cardiothoracic surgeon, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, on changes to culture to address negative behaviours and improve safety Dr Erik Monasterio, Canterbury DHB forensic psychiatrist, on a personal experience of stress …

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ASMS wrote to the new Minister of Health, Dr David Clark, in October 2017, congratulating him on his appointment and describing the key challenges for New Zealand’s health system. These include improving the health of New Zealanders, access to health services and cost effectiveness. We expressed our wish to engage with the Minister and his agencies to help meet these challenges. ASMS recommended seven key policies to achieve and maintain a high quality, sustainable health service model, and these are …

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“The chief executive of Southern District Health Board is undermining his credibility by scapegoating senior doctors for a situation they have no control over,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was responding to comments by Chris Fleming on delays in the DHB’s its cardiac surgery waiting lists. The Ministry of Health says an unacceptable number of patients are waiting beyond clinically appropriate timeframes – but the chief executive says senior doctors are …

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“It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Waikato District Health Board Chair Bob Simcock has to demonstrate accountability by resigning in order to help end the embarrassment over the excessive expenditure by the DHB’s former chief executive, which is only now coming to light,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). Mr Powell was commenting on the public release of former Waikato DHB Chief Executive Nigel Murray’s expenses.  More information about the spending is detailed in …

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“The new Health Minister is to be commended for seeking answers to Waikato District Health Board’s dubious decision to spend millions of dollars on a virtual health strategy,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was commenting on reports that Health Minister David Clark has expressed concern about the rapid approval process for the virtual health strategy, HealthTap (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=11938842). “The approval process for this initiative has been driven managerially, rather than clinically,” …

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“The new Government needs to also keep the potential impact on health in mind as it prepares to take on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement over offshore investment in New Zealand’s housing market,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). “Fixing the problems we have with housing in this country is obviously a priority for the Government but the potential impact on health policy and provision is also very important, and we’d urge the …

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Senior doctors will welcome the appointment of Dr David Clark as the new Minister of Health, says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). “He has already shown a good grasp of the portfolio while an Opposition MP and we have high hopes that he will be willing to tackle the challenges facing public health. These include years of significant under-resourcing of public hospitals, longstanding shortages of senior medical specialists, a high level of unmet …

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Does your DHB transact with other organisations, or does it form relationships? Ian Powell of ASMS believes the relational approach helps Canterbury DHB succeed, and avoid the sorts of disputes now surrounding after-hours provision in Auckland In broad terms, DHBs can function in two ways – relationally or contractually. The relational approach is evidenced by Canterbury DHB, and is most obvious in its community–hospital health pathways, sometimes known as the Canterbury Initiative. The other is contractualism, a legacy of the …

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A survey of Counties Manukau District Health Board reveals a significant shortfall of senior hospital specialists, more than two and a half times larger than the number of vacancies officially recorded. Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS), says the results of the ASMS survey are very concerning and stand in stark contrast to reports the DHB is considering voluntary redundancies (http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/340369/counties-manukau-dhb-offers-voluntary-redundancies and http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11927279). “We have an extraordinary situation where senior hospital doctors …

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Senior doctors are welcoming a strong position statement from the New Zealand Medical Association on the value of investing in public health. “Health obviously matters for the quality of life New Zealanders experience – and it also offers direct financial benefits that are sometimes overlooked,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). He was commenting on a position statement published by the New Zealand Medical Association, which advocates investing in health rather than viewing …

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