Media release from Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

"The Commission set up to look at competitive terms and conditions of employment for senior doctors employed by district health boards has confirmed how vulnerable this situation is for standards of patient care in New Zealand," said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.

The Commission was formed arising out of the acrimonious last national collective negotiations in order to assist the next negotiations due to start next year (the current national agreement expires on 30 April 2010).

"The Commission identifies a core pay gap of around 35% between Australia and New Zealand.  It does not recommend how much salaries should increase by instead stating that this should be left to the negotiations next year.  But it is a 'no brainer' that with such a huge pay gap New Zealand can't compete with Australia, for younger doctors in New Zealand looking for their first specialist position, for senior doctors frustrated by disengagement in DHBs, and for the specialists we attempt to recruit from overseas.

"The Commission's confirmation of the vulnerability of the senior doctor workforce in DHBs is consistent with the government's own willingness to recognise that we have a medical workforce crisis.

"The Commission provides a powerful message about the negative effect on retention of the high level of disengagement of senior doctors in DHBs.  This is also our own experience.  However, it will take a long time to turn this shameful situation around and it can't be done in time to overcome our medical workforce crisis and the consequential risks to patients.

"Given the high importance given by the Commission to the advantages of engaging senior doctors we hope that the government and DHBs will listen to and engage with us over how to address our medical workforce crisis.

"We are looking forward to below the radar constructive discussions with the government and DHBs prior to the start of formal negotiations next year, over a gradual pathway to developing terms and conditions of employment that enable New Zealand to recruit and retain senior doctors in a competitive and aggressive Australian medical labour market " concluded Mr Powell.