Axe over hospital bd H.Q.

Press, 28 December 1988, Page 6

Axe over hospital bd H.Q.

PA Wellington About half of Wellington Hospital Board’s 138 head office staff may lose positions in the new year, according to a report. They would include senior officials such as the chief nurse, Barbara Shadbolt, and the acting chief medical officer, Helen Bichan.

The report, drawn up by a special working party, has proposed eliminating 76 head office positions such as the works director, the acting chief executive officer, the chief social worker and the Maori health co-ordi-

nator. The report has been given to head office staff to comment on before January 20 and the board’s acting general manager, Mr John Yuill, said he would make a decision on it before the end of January. The move was initiated because Mr Yuill believed the board’s head office ought to be concentrating on policy and planning, and should not be involved in service delivery. The working party, of outside consultants and staff representatives, was asked to identify which

activities should no longer be part of the board’s head office function and which should. Its report said there should be a tighter, leaner head office and identified a number of jobs in the board’s head office that could and should be done at district or institutional level. Although the report recommended reducing head office staff from 138 to 62, the actual jobs lost would be about 20. Some positions would be lost completely and there were likely to be significant reductions in

the works department, Mr Yuill said. He expected senior board officials affected by the proposals, such as Mrs Shadbolt and Dr Bichan, would be able to find alternative positions within the board. He envisaged the organisation under an area health board having three separate district organisations to take over the three geographical areas in the region, each with a manager. These would be new roles and new positions which displaced head

office staff could fill. He also envisaged a new unit headed by an assistant general manager and responsible for policy and planning which would also need senior staff as programme managers. These people would be given responsibility for particular board activities and would advise the board on them. Mr Yuill said there would be more positions in the policy area than in the past and a regional services unit which could pick up a number of head office activities.