‘It’s just sick’: Hundreds of public health staff face layoffs

Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Professor Lester Levy says he and the chief executive of Health NZ have made a commitment to protect the front line, but there may be some 'marginal changes' to front line work.

Close to 1500 public health roles could be cut at Health NZ as budgets are slashed, leaving affected staff “in purgatory” in the lead up to Christmas.

While about 700 of the affected roles are vacant, major layoffs still face four teams: data and digital, Hauora Māori unit, public health service and Pacific health.

A staffer who was in meetings on Wednesday described the timing as “sick” and “cruel”.

“Today is purgatory,” they said, adding some affected staff had already spent the entire year facing job uncertainty.

“It's unethical. People's mental health is suffering big time.”

Health NZ chief executive Margie Apa says more proposals are set to follow in the new year as the agency looks to return to budget.

Consultation documents The Post has seen show 50 fulltime roles in the Pacific Health team, 125 roles in the Hauora Māori team and 358 roles in the National Public Health Service are proposed to be disestablished. Many of these roles are vacant.

More than 1100 roles in the data and digital team are affected, as the department looks to find savings of $100 million.

Have you been affected? Email rachel.thomas@thepost.co.nz

Within that team was a national service which helped to enrol people in general practice. The staffer said that whole team was facing disestablishment, which would impact the Government’s health targets.

“One of the targets is immunisations, too. How do you get babies immunised? You get them enrolled in general practice. There is not going to be a health system left at the end of this.

The proposal includes plans to cut people who help New Zealadenders quit smoking.

“You can't get people out of ED without preventative services or good data … it's just sick.”

The agency is looking to slash $30m from the public health service budget.

The hauora Māori team encompasses some of what was Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, which the Government disestablished as part of the coalition agreement.

Proposed roles for disestablishment in the hauora Māori team include the head of Hauora Māori policy, commissioner managers, more than a dozen policy analysts and three regional directors.

Chief executive of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, Margie Apa, and Commissioner Professor Lester Levy are making cuts at the agency to bring it back to its budget.

Proposed cuts to the Pacific Health team are underpinned by a need to find savings of $12.2m.

Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora is the largest employer in the country, with a headcount of more than 80,000 based on its most recent annual report.

More restructuring on the way

Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa said the agency would release a number of consultation proposals over the coming week, with more to follow in the new year.

“Feedback is sought from our staff on how we reset our functions to get back to budget while also taking opportunities to strengthen how we work in regions.”

She confirmed proposals were going to four business units this week: data and digital, Hauora Māori unit, public health service and Pacific health teams.

“We know working through these changes will be unsettling for affected staff and acknowledge a large number of positions are proposed to be removed. We are committed to supporting people throughout this process.”

She also revealed 564 staff had already taken voluntary redundancy.

The agency had made some good progress towards living within its means, but was still spending more than its budget, Apa said.

Health NZ has a savings target of $2 billion after it was revealed it was spending beyond budget at a rate of about $140m each month.

PSA national health sector lead Ashok Shankar says the cuts will only make the functioning of the health system worse.

“We took immediate steps to stabilise our finances, including working to get the best value for the products we purchase, and pausing or adjusting projects that may not provide immediate benefits,” Apa said.

Apa said the agency would publish monthly updates, but would not make further comments outside of conversations with staff and unions.

Cuts will make health system worse - union

If this latest proposal goes ahead, the Government would have shed 3226 health roles, the Public Services Association (PSA) has said.

The union, which represents many of the affected staff, said the health of New Zealanders would suffer.

Professor Boyd Swinburn sys the cuts are “one body blow after another” for the health professionals. (File photo)

“Every day New Zealanders are experiencing a health system that is failing to give them the care and support they need ‒ these cuts will only make that worse,” PSA national health sector lead Ashok Shankar said.

The proposed cuts include advisers helping people to quit smoking, as well as people who work in the alcohol and addictions unit.

Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chairperson Professor Boyd Swinburn said such cuts made a mockery of the Government's Smokefree 2025 plan announced on Wednesday, which included a “renewed focus for smoking cessation services, health promotion, and community mobilisation, while enhancing compliance and enforcement measures”.

“It’s just one body blow after another for the dedicated professionals who have worked tirelessly to keep our population safe and healthy,” he said.

The PSA said the 1120 roles expected to be axed from data and digital group represented just under half the team, and the 358 roles from the National Public Health Service were a quarter of the team.

“It beggars belief that the National Public Health Service is planning to cut one in four roles at the very moment when we are battling a whooping cough epidemic which hits Māori and Pasifika babies particularly hard,” Shankar said.

Te Whatu Ora planned to cut a net nine roles from Auckland’s team of smokefree practitioners who provide services like telephone counselling, group therapy and education support, the PSA said.

The data and digital group played a key role in integrating Te Whatu Ora’s “antiquated” IT systems that were managed by former district health boards, Shankar said.

“These cuts mean Te Whatu Ora will only do the bare minimum, putting band-aids on an already failing system and not proceeding with planned upgrades,” Shankar said.

Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall - a former health minister - said she had seen advice that Health NZ’s IT services were on the brink.

“This level of cuts will put continuity of services and New Zealanders’ health information at risk.

“In the Government’s quest to cut nearly $2b from Te Whatu Ora’s budget, they are risking more epidemics, less equitable health outcomes for Māori and Pacific people, and stripping out the workforce that keeps our health system running.”