It’s been another hectic few months in the health sector, with COVID-19 and now the winter flu season continuing to cause havoc for front line staff. We have seen Health NZ (new name to be announced on July 1st), starting to take shape however, as a new entity must now turn to addressing the huge staff shortages across the motu due to a number of factors including sickness, resignation and general attrition as the borders reopen. These challenges have added to what is already a pressure filled environment for both medical staff and the general population due to the ‘cost of living crisis’ that is not isolated to this country alone. The RMO workforce continues to shine, working as a coherent unit despite pressures outside of work, and the significant constraints around work load and, in particularly the affect this has had on both our training and our work life balance.
We have always believed it is better to ‘have a seat at the table than be on the menu’, and as such STONZ continues to work with key stakeholders to ensure we are front of mind when any decisions are made that may potentially affect our workforce. This again comes back to the strong working relationship we have with DHBs, the new Health NZ, other healthcare unions and the Council of Trade unions (CTU), which ensures us a seat at the table and a place to advocate and ensure our voice is heard.
Whilst each year it may not feel like as a workforce, we have achieved a lot, it is the incremental steps that happen over a prolonged period that ultimately makes the difference for us, and the generation of junior doctors coming through. We thank you again for your continued support and feedback.
We hope you find the updates in this newsletter both interesting and informative, if there is anything you’d like to hear about, or if you have a story to share, we would love to hear from you.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Earle, Blair, Rich, Christina, Emma & Jordan