19 Apr 2023

Group addressing health staff shortages is lagging, doctors say

From Morning Report, 7:17 am on 19 April 2023

Doctors say a top level taskforce to address dire staffing levels is not delivering fast enough as winter pressures loom.

And they say Te Whatu Ora's Workforce Taskforce is keeping them at arms length - when those on the shop floor know best what is going on.

Te Whatu Ora says its Workforce Taskforce has a draft of a plan to tackle medical staffing shortages but it is still being reviewed by its members.

It says the taskforce has set up six groups to develop staffing pipelines, and HAS helped with systems to bring in health workers from overseas, and to get them out into rural areas.

Photo:

Phil Pennington reports.