A report into the new hospital rosters that were supposed to make things safer for both doctors and patients, says the new system is inflexible, has a negative effect on training, and reduces continuity of care between doctors and patients.
District Health Boards agreed to the safer rosters after bitter pay talks and two strikes by junior doctors. But the report, released by the DHBs to RNZ under the Official Information Act, says the issue of rosters appears to have been considered in isolation without the wider effects being taken into account.
David Munro is an advocate with the Resident Doctors' Association. He talks to Susie Ferguson.
"I’ve heard it again and again this morning, from these six big DHBs who are the ones with the largest number of yet-to-implement rosters. And they keep talking about the effects that have happened. The fact of the matter is in their case it's simply speculation. It's based on perception, it's based on opinion. They’re suggesting that if they implement the rosters, these things will happen.
“These six big DHBs that have commissioned this frankly very flimsy and unimpressive report, are the ones that have simply struggled to [implement new rosters] and are simply trying to avoid meeting obligations under the MECA.”
