Leaked report suggests cuts
Despite HIV and syphilis cases at record high levels, sexual health services are being cut by the Auckland District Health Board, critics say.
The DHB insists the changes will actually increase staffing numbers and improve services, focussed around ‘‘patient-centred, self-directed care.’’
The ADHB’s decision on a restructure of its sexual health services was leaked to the Green Party and shows the number of Auckland Regional Sexual Health Services senior medical staff will be cut by nearly 40 per cent, reducing the number of appointments available and cutting the number of clinics.
They are replaced by nursing level staff.
Under the DHB’s cuts Auckland will have just one people.
An Auckland District Health Board sexual health physician said sexual health was already stigmatised enough, and cutting access to care would only make things worse.
The official decision, leaked by a member of the DHB’s staff, showed clinic hours were set to change and the number of senior medical officers was to be reduced, with more training given to nurses for nurse-led clinics.
‘‘[ADHB] just refuted everything.’’ ‘‘They didn’t address any of our concerns, and gave us no reason as to why this is going on.’’
She said the nurses do not have the level of specialised care needed and doctors will need to be called in for consults, resulting in delayed and ineffective specialist per 500,000 care.
‘‘If you’ve got an infection - the sooner you get treated, the better, but that might become more difficult now,’’ she said.
An Auckland District Health Board statement said that after an ‘‘extensive consultation process’’, the decision was made to ‘‘adjust’’ the sexual health staffing model.
The changes will increase staffing numbers overall by 1.4 full-time employee positions, and will establish the roles of Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Assistant, and Clinical Lead for Sexual Assault.
A secondary statement from the Auckland District Health Board said the service will continue to work with primary care and other agencies to ensure all Aucklanders can access appropriate sexual health services for their needs.