New health boss: Hospitals can cope with fewer staff

New health boss: Hospitals can cope with fewer staff.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/4126261/New-health-boss-Hospitals-can-cope-with-fewer-staff

Stuff.co.nz 14 September 2010 (used without Permission but with the bestest of Intentions, so don’t Sue me Fairfax. Ta, Paddy.)

"New health boss: Hospitals can cope with fewer staff

The Health Ministry's new chief believes it is possible to cut doctor and nurse positions without compromising health services.

Kevin Woods, head of Scotland's National Health Service, will take over as New Zealand's Director-General of Health in early 2011, the State Services Commission announced today.

Dr Woods has headed the NHS in Scotland since 2005.

Earlier this year, he oversaw the axing of 1500 nurse positions in Scotland.

At the time, he was asked by a Scottish Government committee whether it was possible to still provide quality health services with "significantly fewer" doctors and nurses.

"Yes, we believe we can," Dr Woods said.

"We see our pursuit of quality also linked to our policy to improve efficiency. We've invested considerable amounts in equipping the health service with the tools to do that and yes, we do believe we can continue to make progress."

Dr Woods was chosen to head New Zealand's Health Ministry after a lengthy international search.
He replaces Stephen McKernan, who quit the $550,000-a-year-position in March.

"Dr Woods is an experienced chief executive and a very strong leader who has held senior management roles in the health sector in England and Scotland since 1990," State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie said.

"[He] is responsible for a budget of over £11 billion. The NHS in Scotland employs over 150,000 staff through 22 NHS Boards.

He has played a leading role in the development of health policy in Scotland and implemented a delivery management system which has helped to secure improved performance by NHS Boards."
Dr Woods has a Doctor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science (Honours), Geography, from the University of London, and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.

His term is for three years and will begin in early in 2011. Mr Andrew Bridgman is the Acting Chief Executive currently and has agreed to continue in this role until Dr Woods takes up his position.
Dr Woods said he was delighted to with appointment and was looking forward to moving to New Zealand."
Ends.

There is a story which fair shivered me timbers, me hearties, arrrrgh.

Oh Joy and Lucky Us. All of us, I mean, not simply consumers of the occasional bitta mental health medical services.

Shit oh dear, the new Boss of our Health Ministry isn't even a 'get your hands bloodied and inside someones tummy with a scalpel-type doctor.'

Ohhhh no, this one is Theory doctor, a researcher with an apparent penchant for rocks and chops.

Lucky us - Folk, if ANY of you believe that any one is going to enjoy and reap positive coutcomes from his tenure as head of the Health Ministry, then please, can I have some of those meds too?

I can't see much happiness nor genuine improvements arising from this appointment, I just can't. I would love to enjoy hearing him talk on Te Tiriti and Hauora and whanua in the health system and his understanding of such things in his words, not those rehearsed ones he mighta used in his Interviews.

Be warned, You Lot. In my experiences, for some folk like him, Theory and Thesis rule, not People and Consequences;

and he appears to be a dab hand at swinging an Claymore around to prune back entire Tribes of Woad-daubed Minions who actually provided the services and help that he only reads about (and shudders at the waste he believes must exist all around him.)

You are all Welcome to place any thought you have on this appointment or any other thing you think is relevant, but please, be 'considered' in what and how you write, k? If someone gets upset at anything said here, I'm around to take ultimate responsibility but if someone is gunna drop me in it through defamation, make sure its a goodun, k?

F'rinstance: it might not be appropriate to suggest that the Good Scots Doctor Woods holds an Doctorate in Jessieism with Distinctions in Cowering and Running, because there is no evidence I've seen of that.

But ... he cut Scotland health services out from under a lot of peoples feet and he's somehow felt a need to visit and perhaps stay for some time in the Colonies." I guess for we folk here in Aotearoa, that is a case of 'Lucky Coincidence For Us, by Golly.'

A comment like that, may be suggestive of an defamatory comment if a reasonable person took an reasonable view that it was my intent to defame and or to diminish the charavter or reputation of Dr. Woods.

But it wasn't, so any reasonable person would simply see that Paddy was giving an example of how careful we might need to be - so none of those, ta. Slander? Nah, thats when ya say it out loud with ya voice and someone hears it. I think?

Anyway, this will be an public service appointment I might follow with some interest, if not outright trepedation in the months and years ahead.

7 months by the way, is my pick.

01 April 2011 or that month, for sure. I'll put a GSL on it, couriered to the person who most closely predicts how long this man will last in this appointment.

Paddy.

In the interests of ‘editorial balance’ I must post this Link to a further article on Stuff.co.nz in which it seems to be said how pleased Scottish nurses are with outcomes from this chaps work.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/4129084/New-health-boss-praised-by-Scottish-nurses

Paddy.