Latest news with #FionaMcCarthy
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Health NZ confirms roles cut, despite ongoing legal challenge
*This story has been updated to show RNZ is seeking clarification about the specific number of roles going. Health NZ say the cuts are part of its "ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare". Photo: RNZ Health NZ has confirmed job cuts at five of its departments, including Hauora Māori services, Pacific health, procurement, planning and funding, and auditing. However, ongoing legal action by the Public Service Association (PSA) mean some changes were still on hold. Last month, RNZ reported that more than 2400 jobs were on the line at Health NZ, with about half of them currently vacant . Based on earlier figures provided by Health NZ, the number of jobs cut across the five groups (including vacant positions) added up to 377. On Friday, Health NZ released more information about its change decisions , and RNZ is seeking clarity about this affects the job cut total. Health NZ acting head of human resources Fiona McCarthy said the changes were part of its "ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare". While implementation of the final decisions for Hauora Māori services, audit, assurance & risk and Pacific health would begin immediately, the changes for planning, funding and outcomes and procurement and supply chain services were paused for now, due to the legal challenge. "Notwithstanding this legal action, we decided to release these decisions out of concern for the length of time our staff have been waiting for these change processes to conclude," she said. "Some staff have been waiting since last year and, with consultations finished in February, we felt it was fairer to all staff to release the decisions now to give people greater clarity over what our thinking is and what it might mean for them. We will continue to work with the PSA to try and resolve the legal proceedings during the coming weeks." Thursday's announcements regard: For all five services, senior leaders met with their teams and affected individuals to talk through the decisions and any next steps, McCarthy said. "We appreciate these are difficult times for those concerned and a range of support is available." The total number of jobs being cut was not yet clear, said the union. A spokesperson said there would be no change in some areas, until the legal challenge was resolved. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union "strongly opposes" Health NZ's final decisions. "These decisions include the possible loss of specialists procurement, auditing and health innovation and improvement," she said. "The possible loss of these roles has been forced on Health NZ by the Government imposing cuts to our health system that will affect patients. "We call on Government to stop these endless cuts to our health system. "This is why we are still fighting this in the Employment Relations Authority, which is why this will not be implemented until the authority has heard and determined the matter, or the PSA and Health New Zealand have settled it by agreement." In February, the union filed legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority over several proposed restructures on the grounds they breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements and Te Mauri o Rongo - NZ Health Charter. "We'll be making it clear to all our members that legal action is still going ahead and we strongly oppose these Health NZ changes." Last month, the PSA agreed a settlement with Health NZ to stop the restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the planning, funding and outcomes business unit - data and analytics, community mental health funding and investment, and data and digital Services. Earlier Thursday, the PSA also announced further litigation against Health NZ to stop cuts to their audit, assurance and risk, people and culture, finance stage 1, and communications and engagement teams. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Health NZ confirms 377 roles cut, despite ongoing legal challenge
Of those, Thursday's announcement relates to 377 roles. Health NZ acting head of human resources Fiona McCarthy said the changes were part of its 'ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare'. While implementation of the final decisions for Hauora Māori services, audit, assurance and risk and Pacific health would begin immediately, the changes for planning, funding and outcomes and procurement and supply chain services were paused for now, because of the legal challenge. 'Notwithstanding this legal action, we decided to release these decisions out of concern for the length of time our staff have been waiting for these change processes to conclude,' she said. 'Some staff have been waiting since last year and, with consultations finished in February, we felt it was fairer to all staff to release the decisions now to give people greater clarity over what our thinking is and what it might mean for them. We will continue to work with the PSA to try and resolve the legal proceedings during the coming weeks.' Thursday's announcements regard: Hauora Māori services Pacific health Procurement, supply chain and health technology management Planning, funding and outcomes (the former service improvement and innovation teams) Audit, assurance and risk For all five services, senior leaders met with their teams and affected individuals to talk through the decisions and any next steps, McCarthy said. 'We appreciate these are difficult times for those concerned and a range of support is available.' Union vows to fight on The total number of jobs being cut was not yet clear, said the union. A spokesperson said there would be no change in some areas, until the legal challenge was resolved. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union 'strongly opposes' Health NZ's final decisions. 'These decisions include the possible loss of specialists procurement, auditing and health innovation and improvement,' she said. 'The possible loss of these roles has been forced on Health NZ by the Government imposing cuts to our health system that will affect patients. 'We call on Government to stop these endless cuts to our health system. 'This is why we are still fighting this in the Employment Relations Authority, which is why this will not be implemented until the authority has heard and determined the matter, or the PSA and Health New Zealand have settled it by agreement.' Advertise with NZME. In February, the union filed legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority over several proposed restructures on the grounds they breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements and Te Mauri o Rongo - NZ Health Charter. 'We'll be making it clear to all our members that legal action is still going ahead and we strongly oppose these Health NZ changes.' Last month, the PSA agreed a settlement with Health NZ to stop the restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the planning, funding and outcomes business unit - data and analytics, community mental health funding and investment, and data and digital services. Earlier on Thursday, the PSA also announced further litigation against Health NZ to stop cuts to their audit, assurance and risk, people and culture, finance stage 1, and communications and engagement teams.
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Health NZ confirms 377 roles cut
Health NZ has confirmed job cuts at five of its departments, including Hauora Māori services, Pacific health, procurement, planning and funding, and auditing. However, ongoing legal action by the Public Service Association (PSA) mean some changes were still on hold. Last month, it was reported more than 2400 jobs were on the line at Health NZ, with about half of them currently vacant. Of those, Thursday's announcement relates to 377 roles. Health NZ acting head of human resources Fiona McCarthy said the changes were part of its "ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare". While implementation of the final decisions for Hauora Māori services, audit, assurance & risk and Pacific health would begin immediately, the changes for planning, funding and outcomes and procurement and supply chain services were paused for now, due to the legal challenge. "Notwithstanding this legal action, we decided to release these decisions out of concern for the length of time our staff have been waiting for these change processes to conclude," she said. "Some staff have been waiting since last year and, with consultations finished in February, we felt it was fairer to all staff to release the decisions now to give people greater clarity over what our thinking is and what it might mean for them. We will continue to work with the PSA to try and resolve the legal proceedings during the coming weeks." Thursday's announcements regard: Hauora Māori services Pacific health Procurement, supply chain and health technology management Planning, funding and outcomes (the former service improvement & innovation teams) Audit, assurance & risk For all five services, senior leaders met with their teams and affected individuals to talk through the decisions and any next steps, McCarthy said. "We appreciate these are difficult times for those concerned and a range of support is available." Union vows to fight on The total number of jobs being cut was not yet clear, said the union. A spokesperson said there would be no change in some areas, until the legal challenge was resolved. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union "strongly opposes" Health NZ's final decisions. "These decisions include the possible loss of specialists procurement, auditing and health innovation and improvement," she said. "The possible loss of these roles has been forced on Health NZ by the Government imposing cuts to our health system that will affect patients. "We call on Government to stop these endless cuts to our health system. "This is why we are still fighting this in the Employment Relations Authority, which is why this will not be implemented until the authority has heard and determined the matter, or the PSA and Health New Zealand have settled it by agreement." In February, the union filed legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority over several proposed restructures on the grounds they breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements and Te Mauri o Rongo - NZ Health Charter. "We'll be making it clear to all our members that legal action is still going ahead and we strongly oppose these Health NZ changes." Last month, the PSA agreed a settlement with Health NZ to stop the restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the planning, funding and outcomes business unit - data and analytics, community mental health funding and investment, and data and digital Services. Earlier Thursday, the PSA also announced further litigation against Health NZ to stop cuts to their audit, assurance and risk, people and culture, finance stage 1, and communications and engagement teams.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Health NZ confirms 377 roles cut, despite ongoing legal challenge
Health NZ say the cuts are part of its "ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare". Photo: RNZ Health NZ has confirmed job cuts at five of its departments, including Hauora Māori services, Pacific health, procurement, planning and funding, and auditing. However, ongoing legal action by the Public Service Association (PSA) mean some changes were still on hold. This week, RNZ reported that more than 2400 jobs were on the line at Health NZ, with about half of them currently vacant . Of those, Thursday's announcement relates to 377 roles. Health NZ acting head of human resources Fiona McCarthy said the changes were part of its "ongoing effort toward a sustainable future for New Zealand healthcare". While implementation of the final decisions for Hauora Māori services, audit, assurance & risk and Pacific health would begin immediately, the changes for planning, funding and outcomes and procurement and supply chain services were paused for now, due to the legal challenge. "Notwithstanding this legal action, we decided to release these decisions out of concern for the length of time our staff have been waiting for these change processes to conclude," she said. "Some staff have been waiting since last year and, with consultations finished in February, we felt it was fairer to all staff to release the decisions now to give people greater clarity over what our thinking is and what it might mean for them. We will continue to work with the PSA to try and resolve the legal proceedings during the coming weeks." Thursday's announcements regard: For all five services, senior leaders met with their teams and affected individuals to talk through the decisions and any next steps, McCarthy said. "We appreciate these are difficult times for those concerned and a range of support is available." The total number of jobs being cut was not yet clear, said the union. A spokesperson said there would be no change in some areas, until the legal challenge was resolved. PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union "strongly opposes" Health NZ's final decisions. "These decisions include the possible loss of specialists procurement, auditing and health innovation and improvement," she said. "The possible loss of these roles has been forced on Health NZ by the Government imposing cuts to our health system that will affect patients. "We call on Government to stop these endless cuts to our health system. "This is why we are still fighting this in the Employment Relations Authority, which is why this will not be implemented until the authority has heard and determined the matter, or the PSA and Health New Zealand have settled it by agreement." In February, the union filed legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority over several proposed restructures on the grounds they breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements and Te Mauri o Rongo - NZ Health Charter. "We'll be making it clear to all our members that legal action is still going ahead and we strongly oppose these Health NZ changes." Last month, the PSA agreed a settlement with Health NZ to stop the restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the planning, funding and outcomes business unit - data and analytics, community mental health funding and investment, and data and digital Services. Earlier Thursday, the PSA also announced further litigation against Health NZ to stop cuts to their audit, assurance and risk, people and culture, finance stage 1, and communications and engagement teams. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Health NZ eyes $1.8b cost for unpaid leave dating back 15 years
Eight years ago, compliance problems were discovered in the payroll systems at the 20 district health boards that merged into Health New Zealand in 2022. The errors stretched back to May 2010 and meant some employees weren't receiving their proper leave entitlements. Health NZ confirmed on Monday it expected the errors to cost about $1.8b – and last month it had paid out more than $334m. Now, information obtained by Checkpoint shows that, until the end of September, the organisation had spent almost $130.1m on fixing these errors – money that doesn't go to staff affected by the payroll system errors. About $44.4m was spent on a 'remediation partner' on the project to work through and correct the errors, $34.4m on project contractors, $26.4 on staff costs, such as those seconded to the project, $13.7m on consultants and $10.7m on 'payroll system vendor costs'. Health NZ said it would complete payments to 90,000 present employees by the end of 2025, but workers' unions are reporting delays in the process. Health NZ will start working on payments to 130,000 former staff this year on a region by region basis. Then-current 'Auckland metro' staff were paid in mid-2023. On Monday's Checkpoint, Health NZ northern region deputy chief executive Mark Shepherd refused to name which consultants and contractors had received most of the $130m. He said the work involved the likes of payroll experts, who were fixing systems to make them compliant, and that had so far happened in 15 out of the 20 payroll systems. 'This is an incredibly complicated project, where we're trying to return the money that's really deserved and owed to our staff. 'There's $1.8b that we're trying to organise.' Health NZ interim chief human resources officer Fiona McCarthy said it inherited 20 different payroll systems from district health boards. 'Each payroll was set up differently, with different practices and local arrangements in place, and a majority were no longer suited for modern payroll requirements,' she said. 'The complexities of the Holidays Act, the size of the workforce, the hours people work and the variety of employment arrangements, as well as the state of the payroll systems and processes, all make this a very challenging programme of work.' New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate Tracy Chisholm said she understood the way the process was being dealt was reviewed when the Government changed in 2023, so she wondered if there was duplication in that $130m spend. 'It makes a mockery of the statement, 'There's no more money for health'. It makes a mockery of, 'We have a limited budget'. 'It makes a mockery of, 'We can't afford to give you any more than maybe an up to 1% pay increase, but over the last how-many years, we've spent $130m on correcting errors that we've made', so you can correct your own errors, but you can't actually pay the staff that are currently employed.' Chisholm said the dates staff were told they'd receive their Holidays Act entitlements were often pushed back. Eye-watering amount to diagnose problem An Association of Salaried Medical Specialists spokesperson said $130m was an eye-watering amount just to diagnose a problem. The association represents senior doctors, who went on strike over pay and conditions late last month. The spokesperson said the $130m was 'a direct result of underinvestment in infrastructure – in this case payroll infrastructure – and a failure to tackle the legacy of 20 separate DHBs'. 'That money could've been much better spent. It is unclear whether Te Whatu Ora is learning the lesson – the failure to invest today will come back to haunt them tomorrow.' The spokesperson also said staff had experienced estimated dates for remediation payments getting pushed back, in some cases four to five times. 'After spending $130m, employees expect something more conclusive from their employer.' Malcolm Mulholland from Patient Voice Aotearoa was shocked at the $130m spend, but said it highlighted the complications of Holidays Act requirements. 'That is a total waste of money. We should not be spending $130m on correcting an error – effectively, that's what's happening. 'That's money that could be much better spent within our health system, [which is] crying out for dollars at the moment, when it comes to things such as an increase in doctors' wages or infrastructure.'
