Tairāwhiti doctors say ‘exhausted’ workforce driving latest Gisborne Hospital strike

Striking Gisborne Hospital senior doctors pictured with nurses, other workers and members of the public at Heipipi/Endeavour Park during a previous strike in May. Senior doctors went on a 48-hour strike on Tuesday and Wednesday this week after pay negotiations with Health NZ broke down.

Striking senior doctors at Gisborne Hospital say they are exhausted working in an under-resourced hospital and from dealing with Health NZ.

“We are exhausted from the daily grind of trying to care for our community with inadequate staffing and resources, and exhausted from the ongoing battle to address these problems with Health NZ,” local senior doctors said in a statement issued to the Gisborne Herald.

The doctors, members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS), joined 5500 national colleagues on a 48-hour strike on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

The strike, and a similar nationwide 24-hour strike in May, followed a breakdown in pay negotiations, which have been ongoing for more than a year between senior doctors and Health NZ.

Local senior doctors also went on a Tairāwhiti-only strike in May over staff vacancies when they said some Gisborne Hospital services were “on the brink of collapse” because of critical staff shortages, with between 30-40% of senior doctor positions unfilled.

This week, the doctors said there was still a 37% vacancy rate for senior doctors at Gisborne Hospital.

“With local leadership here at Gisborne Hospital we have been able to improve our recruiting processes, but our hands remain tied by lack of progress with regional and national leadership.”

The vacancies exist “despite assurances from Health NZ and the health minister himself that they would deliver on incentives to increase recruitment and retention here at Gisborne Hospital”.

The doctors said a well-staffed and well-resourced hospital and primary care were essential to provide the community with the health care it deserves.

“The senior doctors that are here will continue to provide care to the best of our abilities.”

Doctors knew their 48-hour strike would leave some procedures postponed.

“We apologise for the disruptions this action causes.

“Our problem is that our services and care are already disrupted by low staffing numbers.

“Every day surgeries are cancelled, and treatments are delayed because we are trying to run a hospital with almost half the staff we need.

“We hope this 48-hour strike will get the message to those in charge of health funding that Tairāwhiti needs better healthcare.

“Please stand with us in our fight for sustainable and safe staffing for Tairāwhiti.

“He hauora – he taonga: our health is our most precious thing.”

The ASMS union, in referring to this week’s national strike, said members had yet to receive an offer that did not amount to “another pay cut in real terms”, at a time when workforce shortages were at crisis levels in many places.

“ASMS members are not walking away from patients, they simply know it is critical to have a pay offer that is competitive and continues to attract the medical workforce to New Zealand,” said executive director Sarah Dalton.

Health NZ has applied to the Employment Relations Authority to “fix the terms” of a settlement with the union.

Health NZ national clinical director Dr Richard Sullivan said it was frustrating to put forward a new offer and receive “nothing to work with in response”.

“We are disappointed this is necessary, but we have been in bargaining with ASMS for over a year.

“We believe all bargaining options have been exhausted and that the application for fixing is the best way forward to ensure certainty for New Zealanders.”