Podcasts about health nz

More than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora have voted to strike for 24 hours. The Nurses Organisation says the strike is due to Health NZ's failure to address safe staffing concerns. Health NZ is offering a 3 percent pay rise over two years, plus two payments of $325. But the union said the agency was refusing to provide safe staffing levels in its latest contract offer. NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter talks to Paddy Gower about what it would take to resolve their concerns.

The leader of a union representing junior doctors has said she is dreading the day when a hospital worker's killed at work. Since a staff member was held up at gunpoint outside Palmerston North Hospital in April, Checkpoint has heard from many health workers who don't feel safe on the job. Health NZ has said it is continuously improving security and taking on feedback. But unions said the problem is still a big one and one even wants to see security guards with beefed up powers. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Health bosses driving controversial plans to cut maternity beds at Wellington Hospital have changed their minds. Health NZ acting chief executive Robyn Shearer spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Midwives and specialists begged Health New Zealand to abandon the proposal to cut maternity beds at Wellington Hospital - and at an emotional meeting with staff, it has. MERAS Union co-leader Caroline Conroy spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Midwives and specialists are begging Health New Zealand to abandon a proposal to cut beds from Wellington Hospital's maternity and gynaecology wards. Mary Argue reports.

Health NZ has said gynaecology had 12 "resourced" (staffed) beds, with capacity to flex to 14, and 26 resourced maternity beds, with the ability to flex to 37 beds (11 unresourced) in response to Wellington Hospital's trial aimed at making more room for patients from the overcrowded Emergency Department. Health NZ's group director of operations Jamie Duncan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, the union representing midwives says Wellington Hospital cutting beds from its gynaecology and maternity wards in a trial aimed at making more room for patients from the overcrowded Emergency Department is a bad move, Health NZ says gynaecology has 12 "resourced" (staffed) beds, with capacity to flex to 14, and 26 resourced maternity beds, with the ability to flex to 37 beds (11 unresourced) in response, the Finance Minister says several thousand more families will benefit from the changes to FamilyBoost, monitoring potential dangers, such as intruders or eavesdroppers, is the focus of the country's new space squadron, and it has been a huge weekend of music in the United Kingdom - with Black Sabbath performing a farewell show in Birmingham, and Oasis back on stage together to kick off their high-anticipated reunion tour in Cardiff in Wales.

The amount of money Health NZ is spending on locum doctors to plug staff shortages is increasing and could reach $200 million this year. Checkpoint has obtained figures that show the spend on fill-ins is rising fast. A frontline doctor and the senior doctors union have said it is frustrating to see the increasing pot for temporary workers, when officials are saying money is so tight. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Doctors in Northland are blaming a massive increase in wait times for colonoscopies in the last six months on Health NZ's decision to cut pay rates for locums. Ruth Hill reports.

Are early finishes to blame for the surgical backlog? Surgeon Chris Wakeman claims that public health professionals won't perform surgeries past the 4pm cutoff, causing backlog issues. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking that early finishes do occur. The rosters generally run until about 4:30/5pm, and he says that there are very few operations that can be done in less than half an hour. He says they've been running weekend theatres to try get more people through, but you need quite a big work force to do that consistently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From 10 on Wednesday morning senior medical and dental officers in Northland will go on strike for 24 hours. Health New Zealand Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Government is delivering an increased number of elective procedures to try to meet patient wait time targets. More than 84% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 31 days – 1% more than last year. Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they want that up to 90% by 2030, and are working to speed up treatments. He says they've swiftly outsourced nine thousand 500 electives to the private sector in an effort to get Health New Zealand moving faster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is directing Health New Zealand to give private hospitals 10 year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries. The directive has caught the hospitals by surprise, and is raising questions about the privitisation of the public system. Anusha Bradley reports.

A mental health facility for some of our most difficult to treat patients has been given a last-minute reprieve ahead of its pending closure. Health NZ has proposed shutting Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems. But staff have been rallying to save it, and now more voices are joining those calls, including a former patient. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

For the next month nurses at Auckland City, Starship and Greenlane hospitals will refuse to take 'on-call' shifts. They say Health New Zealand's latest pay offer doesn't keep pace with inflation or the cost of living. Health New Zealand Northern Region Deputy chief executive Mike Shepherd spoke to Corin Dann.

Health New Zealand says the situation in Tairāwhiti Hospital is challenging, but progress is being made with more permanent staff now signing on. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

There's a belief EDs could be diverting patients away with vouchers for urgent care clinic consultations, more than they are. It's believed Auckland's Waitakere Hospital is sending away around 25 patients a day with vouchers due to long wait lists. The Health District's total voucher spend jumped 60% between 2022 and last year. The Royal College of GPs' Medical Director, Luke Bradford told Mike Hosking there's pressure on EDs to meet Health NZ's target of seeing patients within six hours. He says it's cheaper to hand out a $150 or $200 voucher, considering the average cost for a visit is 800. Bradford says it's a reasonable way to help manage the flow of EDs, and vouches are a solution to managing a recession and a lack of resources. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Checkpoint can reveal that Health New Zealand has spent more than $130 million fixing up faux pas with its holiday pay. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Lisa Owen.

Checkpoint has discovered Te Whatu Ora has spent more than 130 million dollars remediating payroll problems and that doesn't include the cost of repaying wages. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Dr Mike Shepherd, Health New Zealand's Acting Deputy Chief Executive Northern Region spoke to Lisa Owen.

Health New Zealand wants to knock 20,000 elective surgeries off its waiting lists by outsourcing thousands of simple cases to private hospitals and getting public sector doctors to work more hours. Anusha Bradey reports.

A new measles case has been identified in Auckland and it's a crew member working with Fullers 360. Health NZ protection clinical director Dr Susan Jack spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Join host Paul Spain and Jonathan Good (Scentian Bio) as they explore Scentian Bio's innovative technology, poised to transform real-time chemical sensing in food, health, and environmental monitoring. Jonathan explains its origins and potential uses, such as detecting food contamination and wearable health diagnostics. Plus, tech news from the week including, Governmental email protocol challenges, Health NZ's proposed workforce changes, Spotify's flexible payment options, AI's energy demands, the Potential hazards of orbital overcrowding and more.Thanks to our Partners One NZ, 2degrees, HP, Spark and Gorilla Technology

Keeping our top medical talent on New Zealand shores, compromised care and growing wait lists. These are some of the reasons over 5,000 senior doctors have walked off the job in unprecedented 24-hour strike action over stalled pay and conditions talks. Health NZ said the strike has forced the postponement of more than 4,000 planned procedures. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

More than 5000 senior doctors from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists union are striking for 24 hours. Health NZ's chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Over 4000 medical procedures are on hold today while 5000 senior doctors strike for better working conditions. This comes after eight months of failed negotiations with Health New Zealand. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says it's not going to fill workforce gaps without major improvements to pay and conditions. Health NZ Chief Clinical Officer Doctor Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking waitlist times for procedures will now stretch out further. He says the more than 4000 procedures which have been delayed will impact on getting people earlier access to care. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former health chief said cutting the number of intensive care beds planned for the new Dunedin Hospital is taking chances with the region's health. 30 intensive care unit beds were originally planned, with capacity for a further 10 beds. But Health New Zealand has cut the number of ICU beds to 20 on opening, with room to increase to 40 beds in the future. Tess Brunton reports from Dunedin.

The plans to close Segar House - which offers a publicly-funded, intensive psychotherapy day programme - the only one of its kind in the country.

In Pacific Waves today: Rabuka's coalition is doomed - Fiji's former AG; Ocean conservation group condemns Trump's exec order; Health NZ to slash 22 jobs in Pacific health; 'I'm still emotional' - Samoan nun recalls meeting with Pope Francis. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Coalition tells Health NZ to use ‘women’ over ‘pregnant people’, Victorian senate candidate defends pro-squatting stance after unusual break-in. Plus, SA Police Chief says resources may fall short if Adelaide hosts COP31.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report commisioned by Health New Zealand warns its current management of its hospitals and other facilities is so poor, it cannot effectively plan for upgrades or replacements, among other issues. RNZ's Phil Pennington spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss.

Transgender researchers are disappointed Health New Zealand has been told to stop using the term "pregnant people" in favour of "pregnant women". The coalition has told the agency the use of inclusive language is confusing for some people - directing it to use "sex-specific language" from now on. While the move has drawn criticism from some academics, researchers and midwives are in agreement that an 'and-and' approach is probably best. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

The Public Service Association said hundreds more jobs could go at Health NZ - and affected staff have told RNZ they feel despondent, exhausted and anxious. Health NZ has confirmed it's consulting with staff on proposed changes to its people and culture tea and RNZ understands it's also proposed a restructure in its communications department. Reporter Lauren Crimp spoke to Lisa Owen.

Casey Costello believes slashing inclusive language will help the health system connect with women. The Associate Health Minister is directing Health NZ to refer to pregnant people as women, and to not use gender-diverse terms. Costello says we need to recognise women have significant health issues. "So we need to be clear - we are targeting women and we want women to reach out and connect as much as possible with health services." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has directed Health New Zealand to say "pregnant women" instead of "pregnant people" in its health communications. Political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Corin Dann.

This afternoon we heard from the minister of health Simeon Brown, who says he understands his predecessor Dr Shane Reti met with the doctors in Tairawhiti last year and developed a recruitment plan... He reiterated that 11.1 full time equivalent senior medical officers are in the pipeline for the region, and recrutiment is underway for more.

Te Whatu Ora is proposing to slash jobs from a department that brings in millions of dollars a year and ensures safety in hospitals, rest homes and other community health providers. The union said the proposal is non-sensical and will cost far more than it saves, while the former chair of Health NZ has called it extremely risky. Keiller MacDuff reports.

The Waikato 11-year-old mistakenly treated as an adult mental health patient was restrained and twice injected with a drug rarely given to children. More details have emerged as Health NZ releases its rapid review into the incident where the autistic girl was wrongly identified as a 20 year old last month. The health agency says it is creating an action plan to stop it happening again. Rowan Quinn reports.   

On today's episode, an RNZ investigation has revealed ministers were lobbied by infant formula companies in the months before the government ditched tougher rules for how formula is made and sold, the Children's Commissioner discusses the report from Health NZ into the eleven-year-old girl who was restrained and mistaken for a 20-year-old, Tasman farmers are hopeful the latest rain will bring relief from the region's drought, Auckland has had its driest March in 15 years, a Christchurch man has developed an app can rate pies, and Black Cap Mitch Hay hit 99 not out to help the Black Caps beat Pakistan.

Unidentified mental health patients will now be assessed by a medical team to prevent identity mistakes. NZ Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Shaun Robinson spoke to Paddy Gower.

Health New Zealand has admitted "significant failings" and apologised for the experience of an 11-year-old girl who was restrained and mistaken for a 20-year-old. Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad spoke to Corin Dann.

A patient information system lauded by Health New Zealand is among a raft of digital projects put on hold. Phil Pennington spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Health NZ says its review into health care, that found access to health care had worsened, proves it is on track with plans to focus sharply on reducing waiting times. 

A long awaited report into the safety and quality of healthcare has found that overall access to care at both primary and hospital level has deteriorated. 

Investigations are underway into how Health NZ staff and Waikato police mistook an 11-year-old girl for a 20-year-old mental health patient. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey spoke to Corin Dann.

Health New Zealand's commitment to boosting specialist palliative care for dying children is under scrutiny, after promises it was actively recruiting more staff, despite not advertising any jobs. Anusha Bradley reports.

Health New Zealand has apologised to a New Plymouth woman who was forced to find the cash to pay for a private ultrasound, after being told she'd have to wait six months under the public system. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Health NZ has apologised after an 11-year-old girl was mistaken for a 20-year-old woman and admitted to a mental health facility. Autism New Zealand chief executive Dane Dougan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A top medical graduate who can't find a job in a hospital says Health NZ needs to do more to ensure locally trained doctors are not being lost to the system. Ruth Hill reports.

The brother of a man who died by suicide in Palmerston North Hospital's mental health ward in April 2014 has welcomed a damning coroner's report into the death. Shaun Gray died on the 16th of April, 2014, and today Coroner Matthew Bates released comprehensive findings into the failings in Mr Gray's care. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Ricky Gray, asking him if he accepted the word of Health NZ, and the MidCentral District Health Board before it, that improvements have been made.

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