Senior doctors in short supply – survey

Hospitals across the top of the south are inadequately staffed with senior doctors, their union says.

A recent survey by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists ( ASMS) showed a shortage of specialists at Nelson Marlborough Health is almost two and a half times larger than the number of vacancies recorded.

But Nelson Marlborough Health say an increase of 16 senior doctors in the last year show the workforce growth is not lagging.

ASMS executive director Ian Powell said the survey findings reflected a pattern of significant, invisible shortages in the senior medical workforce.

‘‘There’s a very clear gap between the specialist vacancies that are actually advertised and the ongoing shortfalls in senior doctor numbers that are having an impact, and it’s this gap that needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.’’

The survey was carried out to assess how many senior medical officer (SMO) fulltime equivalents were needed to provide a safe and quality service for patients, including patients in need of treatment but unable to access it.

One Nelson Marlborough Health staff member said they were currently working more than one in three weekends.

‘‘More SMO staff to help cover weekends means not enough shifts during weekdays. We struggle to recruit to part-time SMOs to smalltown New Zealand.’’

Another said that despite filling in to provide back-up cover, there was still an unmet need for healthcare in the community.

‘‘I did 13 days out of 17 in the past weeks, but clinic waiting lists grow.’’

There were 21 departments at Nelson Marlborough Health contacted as part of the survey and 14 responded.

Eight of the 14 said they had inadequate fulltime senior doctors for their services.

The union estimated another 12.4 fulltime equivalent ( FTE) roles, were required to provide safe, quality and timely health care at the time of the survey.

Despite the shortfall, there were only 5.1 FTE vacancies at the time of the survey.

From the 14 responses, 14 per cent indicated their staff were ‘‘never’’ or ‘‘rarely’’ able to access the recommended level of nonclinical time, and 29 per cent felt their staff had insufficient time to undertake training and education duties.

‘‘Hospitals are doing their best with the money and staff they have, and we’re fortunate in New Zealand to have a dedicated, expert health workforce,’’ Powell said.

‘‘However, the evidence is very clear that we don’t have enough senior doctors to provide the levels of quality care required by our communities.

Nelson Marlborough Health chief executive Dr Peter Bramley said the workforce was constantly reviewed and adjusted to ensure it was delivering the care required.

‘‘The challenge for NMH management is to balance its workforce to achieve the best outcome for patients.’’

The health board currently employs 162 senior doctors, up from 146 in 2016.

Bramley said the survey occurred at a time when the hospital was experiencing an ‘‘exceptionally’’ busy winter in terms of demand.

‘‘We plan for winter well in advance, and endeavour to put the necessary measures in place to ensure we have enough beds for patients, and staff.

‘‘This year however, the highacuity is continuing past the point where we would typically see it start to reduce.’’

Bramley said the health board were aware of the pressure on staff and were ‘‘incredibly grateful’’ for the ‘‘excellent care’’ they provided.

He said staff that were required to work one in three weekends was ‘‘by no means ideal’’ and it was not expected to be a regular occurrence.

Most rosters required staff to work between one in four and one in 10 weekends.