Sarah Dalton: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists CEO on the North Shore hospital building partially opening shortly

A North Shore Hospital is opening - without the staff or money to care for extra surgery patients.

The two-storey Tōtara Haumaru has eight surgical theatres, an endoscopy suite and 150 beds.

But Health New Zealand delayed its opening in April, saying it hadn't determined an operating budget, nor staff to run it.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Chief Executive, Sarah Dalton, says problems won't ease anytime soon.

"They'll say it's not a freeze, but it's as close as you can get without seeing ice. So recruitment has really slowed down and money is very tight."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you remember the new north Shore Hospital building in Auckland,
one hundred and fifty beds building has been all ready
to go for ages but he's been sitting there, just
lights on but empty. Well as now be confirmed that
it is going to partially open in a couple of weeks.
But get this, no extra patience will be treated. And
that's because in order to open this hospital, theaters an
award in the old hospital have to shut. Sarah Dalton

(00:21):
from the Association of Salary Medical Specialists with US he
Sarah good here, how I am, I'm very well, thank you.
This is just shuffling deck chairs, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
But absolutely is shuffling dick chairs.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yep, what's the problem here? Can they just not hire
any more staff?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
So there is a bit of a recruitment freeze in
place at the moment. They'll say it's not a freeze,
but it's as close as you can get without seeing ice.
So yeah, recruitment has really slowed down. Money is very tight.
They haven't managed to meet their target to make their
end budget for the year. And paying me attention to
the health budget announcements in recent weeks, there is no

(00:59):
more money for health now.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
I thought last week when we spoke to Health New
Zealand they said that the freeze would be lifted this week.
Is that what we're expecting.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
So what seems to be happening is that all of
the jobs had to go up to the National Director
of Hospital and Specialist Censes for approval. Now that is
being shifted to regional committees, but all of the jobs
are still having to go to those committees for approval.
So best case scenario is clinical roles will still be

(01:30):
approved for recruitment, but it's going to take even longer
than it's already. And of course the other existing issue
is that we've got lots of services who've had jobs
being advertised for a while and they're not being filled.
People aren't coming, they don't want them.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
How long do you think before we're able to start
getting enough staff to actually make this building like increase
how many surgeries.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
We can do. I'm really concerned about how long it
might be. We've just been having a look at some
of the indicators or planned care and so it will
be mainly elective services that were going on in that
building as far as I'm aware, and in the last year.
The time it takes So for patients who've been given
a commitment to treatment but they are waiting longer than

(02:10):
four months, that's gone up by twenty five percent just
in the last year. That's thirty four thousand people who've
been told you're going to get your procedure, but they
haven't got it within the four months. And the number
of people waiting for fair specialist appointments in the last
year has gone up by thirty four percent. That's nearly
seventy thousand people not being seen within that four month window.

(02:31):
So I can't see it being sixty any times soon.
I went and listened to the FELLECT Committee discussion about
the health estemits the other day and it's pretty brim listening.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, it does sound like it. Sarah, Thank you very
much appreciated that. Sarah Dalton Association of Salary Medical Specialists.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
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Speaker 1 (02:51):
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