LAST CHOICE: Why junior doctors don’t want to work here
Whanganui Hospital bottom of heap for medical trainees
‘The only way is up’ for Whanganui Hospital after trainee doctors rated it their least preferred place to start work as a qualified doctor.
Final year medical students are asked to rank their top three preferences, and the results are published in the New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association’s (NZRDA) annual Hospital Review. Whanganui Hospital was last choice for the 2019 t raining year with only one person selecting it as as first preference.
The r eport poi nts to t he Whanganui District Health Board’s management, s t af f wellbeing and welfare and problems c onfi r ming s af er rosters as the key issues for junior doctors.
It notes the arrival of a new chief executive may bring “some muchneeded change”.
Whanganui District Health Board (DHB) chief executive Russell Simpson, who has been in the job for eight months, said being ranked last was disappointing but there were plans in place to improve perceptions of the hospital and Whanganui.
“The only way is up for us,” Simpson said.
“It’s disappointing to be sitting at 20 out of 20. A lot of it is out of our control in terms of perceptions of Whanganui.
“I’ve met a number of nongovernment and government agencies and the Chamber of Commerce to look at positive strategies to attract people to Whanganui, not just for health but for manufactur- other components,” Rawlinson said.
“At most other hospitals they don’t get to deal with senior doctors; t hey deal with t he registrar or senior registrar.”
Rawlinson acknowledged that Whanganui Hospital usually was not the first choice for new doctors but said the majority who came to t he hospital r enewed t hei r contracts.
Three current post-graduate trainees would soon take three months off at the end of their contracts to travel overseas and then return to Whanganui Hospital.
Rawlinson said people had long memories about Whanganui’s chequered health services and the hospital suffered from national perceptions about historic events, despite the DHB’s attempts to improve its reputation.
Simpson, who has worked in the health sector for 20 years, said in the past Whanganui was regarded “as a place you don’t go in health”.
“In the last 10 years I saw Whanganui start to lift itself. Key was the investment in culture and staff culture, cultural values.”
Simpson says engagement with staff was a priority.
“I spend a lot of my time out on the floor, face to face with staff.
“I’m very proactive in communications and update the staff every week on what’s happening with the DHB. I like to model walking beside people rather than a hierarchical structure.”
Rawlinson said Whanganui Hospital had three rosters.
Two were in place and the third had agreement in principle but documentation around f atigue management needed to be signed off.
He said it was planned to implement the roster at the start of the next quarter in November.
Staff and patient safety were paramount and the hospital had a culture where staff were “not at all concerned” about raising issues, Simpson said.