Replacing the country's chief nurse is on hold – caught up in Ministry of Health restructuring that could see the position's status downgraded.
Applications had closed in late February but in response to Nursing Review questions, the ministry said the recruitment process was on hold until the restructuring consultation was completed.
Geoff Annals, chief executive of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation said the ministry had probably no option as it was understood the restructuring proposal would see the position “substantially diminished” from what was originally advertised.
Likewise College of Nurses executive director Jenny Carryer said it was just as well recruitment was on hold as applicants had applied for a senior position in the ministry.
“The current consultation documents appear to have rendered the position meaningless and the applicants may well choose to review their decision to apply,” Carryer said. “It is to be hoped that sense will prevail and the previous position will be reestablished.”
Annals also expressed concern that the restructuring consultation was being kept in-house for a position with such key significance to nursing and to the ministry's credibility with the sector. “The ministry needs to open the proposal to external submission or it risks shooting itself in its clinical leadership foot.”
Outgoing Director-General of Health, Stephen McKernan announced the restructuring consultation on March 17 saying it planned to cut its current about 1420 full-time staff to 1390 by the end of this financial year and to 1290 by July 2011. The restructuring included “changing some roles and disestablishing some positions” but no decisions were to be made until consultation was completed by mid to late May.
NZNO president Nano Tunnicliff said reductions in backroom staff did impact on frontline staff. “When nurses are needed to spend time doing the work of administrators patient care will suffer.” She also reiterated Annals' concerns about possible downgrading of the chief nurse role.
“NZNO will continue to articulate nursing concerns and support nurses even if the Ministry of Health chooses to devalue the importance of nursing within its organisation,” she said.
Meanwhile the ministry reported that former chief nurse Mark Jones has already paid back the $1250 yacht charter fee. The ministry expects to complete an investigation of all expenditure against Dr Jones' budget shortly. Jones resigned unexpectedly before Christmas, and in February his expenses came under media scrutiny, but this is not believed to be behind his resignation.
