The PSA is concerned that Te Whatu Ora is planning further cuts to the directorate that manages Public Health Service contracts for vital areas such as Primary Care, ambulance services, oral care and aged care.
These and other contracts are managed by the Commissioning Directorate at Te Whatu Ora.
Yesterday Commissioning staff were told in an internal briefing that 126 jobs were to go by the end of the year, on top of 142 vacant roles that won't be filled. The cuts were aimed at making $30 million in savings, says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Kerry Davies.
"These savage cuts will see the head count of the Commissioning Directorate fall from 750 to 482 (36%). The directorate had already been cut back from its head count of 1004 in 2022," Davies says.
Staff were told at the briefing that there would be a cull of programmes and contracts as a result of the job losses as the Commissioning Directorate would not be able to manage all the existing work with its reduced head count.
The Government and Health Commissioner Lester Levy would make decisions on what contracts and programmes would be cut staff were told.
"Davies says the PSA is deeply concerned the cuts will impact delivery of vital health care to New Zealanders.
"We are also concerned that the changes will delay or halt overdue pay equity settlements for care and support workers," Davies says.
"Commissioning also manages developing and contracting of new health services, so these cuts will reduce the ability of the health system to bring in innovative services.
"The rhetoric will be that the savings from these job cuts will be directed to into primary health care. But the Government is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. These cuts will impact the Public Health Services that keep people out of hospital.
"One, example is community oral health services that reduce the need for children to go into hospital for oral surgery," Davies says.
"What's needed is for the Government to properly fund health and not look to make cuts to one vital service to pay for another," says Davies.
The 126 Commissioning jobs that are going include approximately ten roles that are part of a change proposal released in July, which included disestablishing the National Director Commissioning, and the Office of the National Director of Commissioning.
The office is responsible for managing the important machinery of government work such as producing Ministerial advice, responding to OIAs and Parliamentary Questions.
"This work is vital for ensuring the public, media, stakeholders and politicians are able to access information vital to ensuring the democratic oversight of the health system," Davies says.
