Hospital cost-cut fears allayed

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 3

Hospital cost-cut fears allayed

The Canterbury Hospital Board has allayed the fears of a combined health workers committee about possible drastic cuts to hospital services.

The Combined Health Employees Committee (C.H.E.C.) was concerned at an internal report by the medical superintendent of The Princess Margaret Hospital, Dr John McLeod, which outlined several options the board could take to save money at the hospital. The board, which was $4.1 million overspent in the seven months to October 31, has established a cost control committee to look at ways of reducing its spending.

Mr Trevor Warr and Ms Carolyn Payne-Harker, the joint convenors of C.H.E.C. in Canterbury, said yesterday that the group was concerned that

the options in the report would be implemented without consultation with staff or the public. The options included reducing occupied beds, reducing staff numbers and hours of work; and reducing supplies and expenses. "We believe the community is going to suffer if these recommendations are put in place and we believe that staff and the public should be consulted.

"The community and the workers have a right to know that these things are being said by hospital management teams and that decisions are being based on these sorts of ideas.”

The committee plans to hold a public meeting to discuss the report.

The board’s chief executive, Mr Ron

Parker, said yesterday that Dr McLeod’s report had not been discussed by the cost control committee.

“Any recommendation that comes from a medical superintendent has to go through the medical superintendent-in-chief (Dr Ross Fairgray). As yet it has not come to the committee from Dr Fairgray.”

The board received recommendations and suggestions for improvements from its staff all the time “but we don’t implement every idea we get,” said Mr Parker. “I can assure people that any suggestion that goes to the cost control committee will be looked at very carefully and board members will weigh up the implications before making any final decisions.”