Longer wait times in Northland to see psychologists during strike

Some patients may experience longer wait times during a 4-week strike by psychologists employed by Northland DHB. Photo/NZME

Patients who require specific interventions may have to wait longer when psychologists employed by the Northland District Health Board go on a four-week strike.

The psychologists are members of Allied, Scientific and Technical Employees (APEX) union will from next Tuesday, September 3, stop accepting allocations of new patients onto their caseload and will stop participating in group work with patients.

The strike will last for four weeks and follows the nationwide overtime ban that began on July 31.

APEX has 15 members employed as psychologists by the Northland DHB.

Dr Deborah Powell, APEX national secretary, accused the Ministry of Health of dragging its feet on measures aimed at improving psychologists' terms and conditions of employment.

Low pay, understaffing and a lack of professional support was sapping the morale of the workforce, she said.

Dr Powell said the base rate of psychologists working in public health was no match to those offered by the private sector as well as ACC and Corrections.

Northland DHB acting general manager mental health and addiction services, Neta Smith, said there were contingency plans to minimise disruption during the strike.

"This ensures people presenting with distress during the strike period will have their needs identified and access to other supports.

"A direct impact of the strike action is some may experience a longer wait to access specific interventions that psychologists would provide," she said.

APEX said despite the government's stated intentions of increasing access to psychological services for New Zealanders, it has not yet seen any new offer from DHBs to settle the national collective agreement for psychologists on terms attractive enough to recruit and retain these specialists.