Clive Bibby: The “Clayton’s” Health Care Staffing Shortage Problem

How many times do we tune in to the 6pm News to find the opening segment occupied by a damning report about a nationwide doctor and nurses shortage.

We then proceed to be lambasted with political speeches from the Opposition Health spokesperson and the politicised Heath Care Workers Union.

What you don’t hear are the reasons why these shortages have been allowed to occur.

Francesca Rudkin: How do we boost morale in the health sector?

On Tuesday, the latest performance measures were released from Te Whatu Ora. They show mounting pressure on our health system.

This release is for the 3 months from 1st April to 30th June this year. They show preventable hospital admissions for babies and pre-schoolers up by 35 percent compared with the same time last year, an increase of around 5 percent in patients seeking treatment at emergency departments, and the number of people waiting more than 4 months for their first specialist assessment is up to 51,000, from 35,000 a year ago. Cancer patients have also been affected, with treatment times slipping as well.