Financial problems behind staff walkout at Waiwhetu Medical Centre - Rūnanga
Friday, 22 January 2021
Financial pressure and a desire to have the Waiwhetu Medical Centre aligned more closely with the local marae appear to be behind a mass resignation of staff.
Fifteen staff members from the Lower Hutt medical centre have quit, with patients receiving letters informing them “the majority of the doctors and nurses” had left on January 15.
One of the centre’s patients, Marina Pumphrey, said the sudden announcement of the resignations had left her and her husband, who also uses the centre, high and dry.
“The responsibility of the medical clinic is to look after its patients. I believe medical ethics comes in here.”
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She would have liked the opportunity to make the decision to follow her doctor or to stay at the practice before the staff left.
“You spend years building a rapport with your doctor. We should have been given the chance to consult with our doctor, so we could make decisions on what we were going to do.”
The exodus of clinical staff follows the resignation of the centre’s directors in November last year.
In December, Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa announced that chief executive Wirangi Luke had been appointed as the centre’s sole director.
Luke said the medical centre had run as a separate business for the last 12 years, but late last year it became clear that the centre had financial issues and the rūnanga, aligned with Waiwhetu Marae, had to take control of it.
The centre had entered into an agreement to form a partnership with Whānau Ora Community Clinics to provide medical services. It was hoped the partnership would be in place by the beginning of April.
As well as financial issues, the rūnanga was keen to see the centre more closely aligned with kaupapa Māori values and provide a “wrap around” service for its 4500 patients.
Luke was surprised by the resignations which he believes were driven by staff who were unhappy with the new approach.
The centre is still open and staff from a Whānau Ora Community Clinic in Auckland are currently helping out.
During the Covid lockdown Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa had provided a range of social services to local families, including helping families with food.
Luke said it became clear the medical centre had to provide a service “beyond just providing scripts to patients” and it made sense to have it more closely controlled by Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa.
He remains confident the reorganisation will result in an improved service to patients and said the current recruitment process is going well.
Dr Musab Hassan was among the staff who left. He declined to make a statement to Stuff. Another doctor who is now at another practice in Lower Hutt did not respond to a request for comment.
Waiwhetu Medical Centre is contracted by Hutt Valley primary health organisation (PHO) Te Awakairangi Health to deliver primary health services. The PHO’s chief executive Bridget Allan, said the centre had been keeping Te Awakairangi informed of developments.
She said Waiwhetu was continuing to manage the acute needs of its patients, and people enrolled there should continue to contact the practice for care.
Rachel Haggerty, Hutt Valley District Health Board strategy, planning and performance director, said the DHB had been assured services were available to meet the needs of the centre’s enrolled population.
The DHB would work with the PHO and rūnanga to provide support to ensure services could continue.