More than 20 jobs are to be axed at WellSouth in a “dismaying” restructure which will gut services the South “cannot afford to lose”. Staff at WellSouth, the local primary health organisation (PHO) for Otago and Southland, were told on Thursday about the final make-up of the restructure, which was first signalled in late July. The Otago Daily Times has been told that there are a total of 22 roles going, including seven that are currently vacant. Many of the positions are in equity roles, such as Pacific and Māori health, and mental health, the ODT understands. WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs acknowledged there had been changes, without confirming the exact numbers. “While the organisation is undergoing significant changes, we still remain committed to equity. “However, reduced flexible funding has meant that we had to prioritise clinical services for practices — which is the expectation given to us by Health NZ.” Mr Swanson-Dobbs said the organisation’s Pacific Health Framework and ongoing relationships with Pacific providers would continue to guide their work. “The WellSouth Māori and Pacific health strategic frameworks remain in place and unamended. “Equity is a shared responsibility, and this refocus will strengthen the work we do in the organisation through that lens.” The decision has come at a turbulent time for the PHO, which has reported at least 18 practices had left the organisation to a rival PHO over the past two months, eroding their baseline membership by a quarter. PHOs are local groups of doctors, nurses, and health workers that manage government funds, provide lower-cost doctor visits, and improve community health. SUPPLIEDMARIE LAUFISO Dunedin city councillor Marie Laufiso, who has strong ties to the Pacific health community, called the cuts a “betrayal”. “It’s not surprising but it is so disappointing and I know the staff are so upset and angry and we just expect better. “I don’t know if these PHO executives know and understand the meaning of the equity but it’s a bit of a slap in the face to people who talk about equity roles — and now they’re just disestablishing them.” Cr Laufiso said WellSouth had in the past promised better equity and disability representation in the senior leadership team. “If you’re going to treat workers and consumer groups like that, don’t give them the name ‘equity’. “It raises expectations.” Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the restructure was “dismaying” and “infuriating”. “The people being cut from WellSouth include experts in equity and mental healthcare, who have deep expertise in both their practice and the population they serve. “We cannot afford to lose them from our health system.” The PSA had been supporting workers at WellSouth throughout the process, she said. “Providers like WellSouth operate on such tight margins that they can’t absorb changes to their funding contracts. “Ultimately, the people who miss out on quality and consistency of care are the people of Otago and Southland. “New Zealanders deserve better than a piecemeal public healthcare system driven by keeping costs down — they deserve one that puts their needs first and foremost.” [Missing Credit]Ingrid Leary Taieri MP Ingrid Leary, who is the Labour Party mental health spokesperson, was also disappointed. “Removing these three Pacific equity roles risks making it harder to identify when Pacific families are struggling and reach people before they hit crisis point,” she said. “Pacific people already face barriers to timely mental health support, and removing this expertise risks widening those gaps.” Ms Leary said while putting money into frontline services was important, people could not benefit from services they could not find, did not feel safe accessing, or were not connected into. “An equity lens helps ensure care actually reaches people with the greatest unmet need — otherwise some Pacific families will continue to fall through the cracks. “As a local MP, I’m particularly concerned these roles are being removed at the same time as the data foundation needed to understand Pacific health needs is being eroded.” With 18 practices moving to other PHOs, WellSouth now had a less complete picture of the local Pacific population, Ms Leary said. “Taking away Pacific expertise while fragmenting the data that tells us where the need is risks creating a real blind spot — particularly in mental health and addiction, where identifying unmet need and reaching people early can make all the difference.” [Missing Credit]Peter Crampton University of Otago professor of public health Peter Crampton said he was aware of the strong work WellSouth had put into mental health and Pacific people’s health over the past few years, so he imagined “there would be some sorrow” in the organisation. “I can only imagine that they’ve really struggled with the decision to disestablish those positions because there has been, what I’ve observed, a strong commitment to Pacific health, Māori health, and mental health within the PHO. “So I’m sure that the disestablishment of those positions has been a painful exercise for the PHO and results from the membership changes and the consequent funding changes which have occurred over recent weeks.” Prof Crampton said there were huge “unmet needs” in mental health, Māori health and Pacific health. “The loss of those specific mental health and equity-related positions diminishes the capacity of the organisation to serve those particular communities in the way that it has been doing.” The present situation was not entirely WellSouth’s fault, Prof Crampton said. “It’s fluid and uncertain what direction the health system is going in, in respect of primary health organisations.”
