Health Workforce Advisory Committee tackles medical workforce issues
Professor Andrew Hornblow
Chair, Health Workforce Advisory Committee
22 October 2003
Media Statement
The Health Workforce Advisory Committee (HWAC) is establishing a specialist reference group to help it tackle the complex issues relating to the medical workforce in New Zealand.
The 10-member group brings together students in training as well as specialists in rural general practice, secondary and tertiary health services and represents many years' expertise across the health sector and across the spectrum of the medical workforce.
The formation of the group was one of HWAC's recommendations in its August 2003 report to the Minister of Health on future directions for the New Zealand health workforce.
"The workforce is the health sector's greatest resource," says Annette King, Minister of Health. "I am delighted at the calibre and composition of this group of people who have stepped up to work with HWAC on the very important and pressing issues confronting the medical workforce.
"Professor Andrew Hornblow, Chairman of HWAC, also welcomes the formation of the group. "HWAC has made significant progress over the last year or more in working with the health sector to set strategic directions and a framework for the development of New Zealand's health workforce.
"We are now in a position to tackle issues to do with the recruitment and retention of skilled health practitioners in the medical workforce in a way that would not have been possible earlier, and the reference group will have a crucial role in this," says Professor Hornblow.
Commenting further, Professor Hornblow noted, "HWAC's 2002 stocktake of the health workforce showed that while the number of medical practitioners increased 36 percent between 1990 and 2000, the demographics of the medical workforce are changing significantly. At the same time, the demand for medical services and the capacity for medical interventions are increasing relentlessly, and global trends are impacting more and more on health care in New Zealand. The medical reference group will address these issues.
The reference group, which includes three members of HWAC, is:
Dr George Salmond Chair (HWAC)
Professor John Campbell
Dr Peter Leslie
Mrs Anne Kolbe
Dr Don Simmers
Dr Dwayne Crombie
Dr David Galler
Cindy Towns
Dr Ralph Wiles (HWAC)
Jane Lawless (HWAC)
The reference group is to begin by:
Assessing medical workforce information requirements for supply and demand analysis. This analysis will take into account:
- demand for doctors, including how they deliver services and medical workforce capacity requirements
- current supply from the education sector and immigration, also recruitment and retention issues
- planning processes, to improve information systems and use of short- and long-term measures to ensure capacity
- professional issues including professional development, flexible employment opportunities, career pathways etc.
Reviewing the structure of medical service delivery. This project will explore doctors' work in terms of specialist, generalist and resident medical officer roles in an environment of patient-centred service delivery. Primary care, cancer control and diabetes may be used as examples to explore this issue.
Appointments to the Medical Reference Group are for a year initially, to allow for a review of the group's tasks and membership. The group is advisory to HWAC and will work within HWAC's Terms of Reference.
HWAC's medical reference group will add strength to the increasing emphasis being given to health workforce development by District Health Boards (DHB's). Chair of DHBs' collaborative workforce group, and appointee to the HWAC medical reference group, Dr Dwayne Crombie says, "District Health Boards recognise that the workforce is the sector's greatest asset and have focused on building our collective capacity to respond to workforce issues. HWAC's medical reference group will be able to provide advice on some of the more complex issues facing the medical workforce in a changing service delivery environment."
For more information contact:
Professor Andrew Hornblow, HWAC Chair (03) 348 6536
Brief career details of HWAC Medical Reference Group members
Dr George Salmond, Chair Medical Reference Group
George Salmond is a public health consultant, with extensive involvement in research and policy on health workforce and health services over many years. He was Director-General of Health from 1986 to 1991 and has held various other senior health appointments, nationally and internationally.
Professor John Campbell
Professor John Campbell is Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Otago and President of the Medical Council of New Zealand. He was Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago before becoming Dean. He has been on numerous Government committees and advisory boards.
Dr Dwayne Crombie
Dwayne Crombie is CEO of Waitemata DHB covering 480,000 people in North West Auckland. Dwayne is Chair of DHBNZ's collaborative workforce group. He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine with management training. His key interest is in patient safety and systems improvement.
Dr David Galler
David Galler is an Intensive Care Specialist and Clinical Director of Acute Care at Middlemore Hospital. He is Principal Medical Advisor to the Ministry of Health. He has been the National President of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. David is interested in change management and is instrumental in driving the development and implementation of new processes of care at Middlemore Hospital.
Mrs Anne Kolbe
Anne Kolbe is a Specialist Paediatric Surgeon and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Waitemata District Health Board. Anne is President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a member of the Council Committee on Women in Surgery. She has interest in vocational education, the clinician/healthcare manager partnership and workforce.
Ms Jane Lawless
Jane Lawless is a staff nurse at Waikato Hospital, and Chairperson of the College of Emergency Nurses New Zealand (New Zealand Nurses Organisation).
Dr Peter Leslie
Peter Leslie trained as a Cardiologist. At present he is Chair of the Council of Medical Colleges in New Zealand, immediate Past President, New Zealand, Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Previously Head of Cardiology at Wellington Hospital and Clinical Reader in Medicine at the Wellington School of Medicine of the University of Otago.
Dr Don Simmers
Don Simmers is a general practitioner with experience in rural general practice. Don has a particular interest in rural obstetrics, trauma medicine and the primary/secondary care interface. He is on the New Zealand Medical Association board and is Chair of its Medical Workforce Subcommittee.
Ms Cindy Towns
Cindy Towns is a MBChB/PhD student in her 4th year at the Dunedin School of Medicine. She was president of the New Zealand Medical Students' Association in 2002. She has interests in medical education and the recruitment and retention of the health workforce.
Dr Ralph Wiles
Ralph Wiles is a general practitioner practising in Tokoroa. The practice has a high number of Māori and Pacific patients. Ralph is the immediate past Chairperson of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
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