new hospital built but no money to hire staff

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Batman

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#275684 3-Sep-2020 18:24

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12362080

A Canterbury Māori health leader and former deputy board chair of the Canterbury DHB is outraged the region's deficit-laden DHB has built a new emergency care unit for children but cannot afford to staff it.

ockel

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#2556614 3-Sep-2020 19:22

There are so so so many things wrong with what has happened with this hospital from the previous Government and the current Government that it really beggars belief.

Funding on a population basis (but failing to undertake a Census properly)

Not making capital exceptions for rebuild due to Acts of God.

Allowing additional funding for budget overruns for NZTA projects but not for building hospitals.

Still applying high hurdle rates for DHB budgets when interest rates have plummeted. I thought that ComCom was bad and slow and myopic but the MOH and Treasury take it to a whole new level.

Sixth Labour Government - "Vision without Execution is just Hallucination"

vexxxboy

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#2556638 3-Sep-2020 20:40

wasn't there a Yes Minister episode where the Government did the same thing.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

allan

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#2556650 3-Sep-2020 21:49

vexxxboy:

wasn't there a Yes Minister episode where the Government did the same thing.

Yes Minister S2 E1 The Compassionate Society

Goosey

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#2556652 3-Sep-2020 21:53

I read this article.

twice.

On the face of it, it no where even mentions anyone or has statements from the Govt or MOH.

All it says is the local DHB this and local DHB that and cheap shots aimed at the government for the slow progress with the new build...... but i think I can remember the new building was subject to a plethora of project management issues and construction defects. The local DHB was in charge of the project I believe.

Anyhow... always two sides to the story and the govt is keeping mum for some reason...... perhaps they will grab the cheque book soon.

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#2556676 4-Sep-2020 03:25

From MoH site
"The Ministry of Health is responsible for delivering the redevelopment project and is working closely with Canterbury District Health Board to ensure the new facilities are fit-for-purpose and meet the current and future health needs of the Canterbury region.

The redevelopment is overseen by a Hospital Redevelopment Partnership Group, who were appointed by the Minister of Health in 2012. The Group provides governance for planning, service reviews, business case development, and construction of the project.""

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#2556677 4-Sep-2020 03:58

The DHB / MOH system has been a shambles for a fair while.

When I was in NZ I worked with most of the northern DHBs and had a fair bit of knowledge about the way they worked. You have many DHBs with facilities which are quite frankly decrepit and no money to fix them. Many DHBs are run on the smell of an oily rag and often by people who shouldn't be let near a hospital. There isn't effective governance either, no one votes for their local DHBs.

Organisations like Health Alliance are a debacle. They have given the DHBs the worst of both worlds - an "outsourced" supplier they have to use but no ability so fire them. They are a nightmare to deal with.

The Simpson report proposed some fairly sensible measures to try an unwind some of the issues but they have been systemic for quite some time and will take many years to unwind. Successive governments have found it convenient as they can absolve themselves from providing adequate funding and supervision to the health system. They can set "policy" without funding it and then criticise the DHBs as it's an operational problem for the DHB to fix. It's going to take a lot of money and a fair bit of political will to sort this out.

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#2556691 4-Sep-2020 07:18

Handle9:

The DHB / MOH system has been a shambles for a fair while.

When I was in NZ I worked with most of the northern DHBs and had a fair bit of knowledge about the way they worked. You have many DHBs with facilities which are quite frankly decrepit and no money to fix them. Many DHBs are run on the smell of an oily rag and often by people who shouldn't be let near a hospital. There isn't effective governance either, no one votes for their local DHBs.

Organisations like Health Alliance are a debacle. They have given the DHBs the worst of both worlds - an "outsourced" supplier they have to use but no ability so fire them. They are a nightmare to deal with.

The Simpson report proposed some fairly sensible measures to try an unwind some of the issues but they have been systemic for quite some time and will take many years to unwind. Successive governments have found it convenient as they can absolve themselves from providing adequate funding and supervision to the health system. They can set "policy" without funding it and then criticise the DHBs as it's an operational problem for the DHB to fix. It's going to take a lot of money and a fair bit of political will to sort this out.

The NZ health system has been in a deteriorating state for the last 30 years since the free market reforms by Labour in ~1991. Both parties are just as guilty when it comes to their own reforms, but there is no disputing that the creation of DHB's and PHO's 20 years ago has simply not delivered the benefits that they should have done.

The whole health system is now so complex and consumes so much money that no Government really wants to touch it for fear of totally breaking the band aids that hold it together, and now that we're going to potentially be facing 10 - 15 years of some form of Government austerity regardless of what party is in power as we attempt to pay back the massive debts that Covid has created I can't see how we're going to see any major significant changes.

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#2556695 4-Sep-2020 07:34

Handle9:

There isn't effective governance either, no one votes for their local DHBs.

Pardon? DHBs are voted on in the local body elections.

Organisations like Health Alliance are a debacle. They have given the DHBs the worst of both worlds - an "outsourced" supplier they have to use but no ability so fire them. They are a nightmare to deal with.

Agree... the lower North Island is stuck with CTAS, and your comments on Health Alliance apply equally there.

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#2556714 4-Sep-2020 08:51

frankv:

Handle9:

There isn't effective governance either, no one votes for their local DHBs.

Pardon? DHBs are voted on in the local body elections.

I suspect @Handle9 is referring to lower voter turnout for such elections https://www.lgnz.co.nz/local-government-in-nz/vote2019/voters/final-voter-turnout-2019/

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#2556723 4-Sep-2020 09:03

the article has been updated with comments from the CDHB

Canterbury DHB confirmed on Thursday afternoon that some new areas in Christchurch Hospital Hagley would not be used immediately when it opens in November.

Its chief executive David Meates said services would not be provided for the new Children's Emergency Care facilities, despite the fact they are "superb and have been designed to support best practice".

Instead, he said these services would be provided in the Emergency Department alongside adult patients, which was "far from ideal".

"With regard to the children's high care unit area associated with the intensive care unit, I would like to stress children will continue to get the care they need," he said.

The decision not to open parts of Hagley hospital would be reviewed by management after three months of those working in the new facility to assess patient flows, admission rates, time spent in the emergency department and both consumer and clinician feedback, Meates said.

"Avoiding additional costs is one of the strategies we are using in the short which is why it's important to review the impact after the first few months of being in Hagley."

Clint

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#2557011 4-Sep-2020 14:25

RunningMan:
frankv:

Pardon? DHBs are voted on in the local body elections.

I suspect @Handle9 is referring to lower voter turnout for such elections https://www.lgnz.co.nz/local-government-in-nz/vote2019/voters/final-voter-turnout-2019/

Yip.

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#2557065 4-Sep-2020 15:00

Handle9:
RunningMan:

I suspect @Handle9 is referring to lower voter turnout for such elections https://www.lgnz.co.nz/local-government-in-nz/vote2019/voters/final-voter-turnout-2019/

Yip.

I'm culpable. Despite liking to think I'm interested, I'd really have no idea who I was voting for. Even if I asked people working for the DHB I suspect I'd get diverse answers and be no better off toward reaching a decision. One friend just had a long-standing contract with the DHB unexpectedly terminated - and he's bitter. I haven't asked who he's bitter against, the DHB, management, the government, god. This was running a public health initiative which had received praise.

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#2557071 4-Sep-2020 15:11

Fred99:
I'm culpable. Despite liking to think I'm interested, I'd really have no idea who I was voting for. Even if I asked people working for the DHB I suspect I'd get diverse answers and be no better off toward reaching a decision. One friend just had a long-standing contract with the DHB unexpectedly terminated - and he's bitter. I haven't asked who he's bitter against, the DHB, management, the government, god. This was running a public health initiative which had received praise.

It's pretty hard to know who to vote for in these types of elections. With the demise of "local" media there's minimal coverage of local politics and certainly very little coverage of dhb governance.

I think the idea of DHBs (local governance of local healthcare) is a decent one, the implementation has been a different story. I'm not sure of the answer though.