Nominations are being sought for the transition board for the Otago Southland primary health organisation (PHO) which should hold its first meeting in early December.
At this stage there are no details available on the cost of the transition process, but the letter calling for nominations says transitional board members will be paid a "reasonable honorarium" and the board will be resourced to carry out the work required of it.
Otago and Southland district health boards' chief executive Brian Rousseau said the boards would be seeking advice from the Institute of Directors on fees.
The letters were sent by the boards this week to organisations representing general practitioners, practice nurses, rural general practices, pharmacists and existing PHOs asking for nominations for the 11-member board by November 20.
The boards will appoint the chairman or chairwoman for the transition board along with four clinical leaders (two general practitioners, one nurse and one pharmacist), three representatives from boards of existing PHOs and one Maori representative. (The procedure for selecting the Maori representative was still being established this week).
The Otago and Southland district health boards recently voted to establish one PHO across the region to replace the existing nine.
It is expected to be in place by July 1 next year.
At the Otago board's November meeting chairman Errol Millar said if anybody thought the new organisation was the "district health boards in drag, they've got a problem".
Mr Rousseau said it was not the boards setting up the new PHO, but a group of experts who would be required to adhere to certain principles.
General practitioners had been disenfranchised in some of the existing PHOs.
Board member Dr Branko Sijnja said there were also other groups which had never been represented.
Board member Dr Malcolm Macpherson said while the boards did not want to ride "shotgun" on the transitional board, there was a risk that if the board was cut adrift it could come back with a "done deal" which might not be what was sought.
Mr Rousseau said the terms of reference for the transitional board would give protection from that.
Mr Millar said it was important that the people on the transition board were not there as a "collection of representatives" but there to work together to form the new organisation.
There would be a difference between the skills required for members of the transition board and those on the ultimate board.
The letter calling for nominations says board members would be expected to bring a regional perspective to the work of the board.
"Geographical representation is less important at this stage than relevant skills and experiences in governance (including clinical governance), change management and negotiating transition arrangements."
Transition board
Tasks for the transition board for the Otago-Southland PHO include:
- Setting up the new organisation as a community-owned PHO.
- Consultation with relevant groups.
- Appointment of a chief executive.
- Establishment of a management structure.
- Negotiating the transfer of relevant and appropriate assets and liabilities from the existing PHOs.
- Developing a plan for operating the PHO.
- Establishing a governance structure and organising the appointment of a board.
- Finalising contractual, service and funding arrangements with district health boards.
Source: Draft terms of reference issued by Otago and Southland district health boards.
