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Ian Powell
Otaihanga Second Opinion is a regular health systems blog in New Zealand.
Ian Powell is the editor of the health systems blog 'Otaihanga Second Opinion.' He is also a columnist for New Zealand Doctor, occasional columnist for the Sunday Star Times, and contributor to the Victoria University hosted Democracy Project. For over 30 years , until December 2019, he was the Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
Ian Powell - Latest News [Page 15]
Pay Equity Settlement For DHB Administration Staff Has Valuable Lesson For Medical Specialists
Friday, 4 December 2020, 6:18 am | Ian Powell
Under new gender pay equity legislation through an amendment to the Equal Pay Act in July the Public Service Association (PSA) has achieved a major win for clerical and other administration staff employed by New Zealand’s 20 district health boards ... More >>
Foot And Mouth By Health Unions Not Smart
Monday, 30 November 2020, 3:56 pm | Ian Powell
Health systems are labour intensive which makes workforce critical to their performance. The fact that New Zealand’s public system is highly unionised, especially health professionals, is a systemic strength. Health unions have proven to be essential ... More >>
Collective Bargaining And Health Systems: Place And Tide
Sunday, 22 November 2020, 6:21 pm | Ian Powell
Otaihanga Second Opinion is a health systems blog with a largely New Zealand focus. Otaihanga on the Kapiti Coast and by the Waikanae River is where I live. It is a Maori name meaning the place made by the tide. Linking collective bargaining to health ... More >>
The Extreme Consequence Of Overworking Medical Specialists
Wednesday, 18 November 2020, 6:18 pm | Ian Powell
One of the most distressing parts of my years working for the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists was when there was a member suicide. These tragedies were infrequent and invariably due to a range of factors. But they were a constant reminder to me ... More >>
Nursing Union Right To Encourage Nurses Not To Work In Unsafe New Zealand Quarantine Facilities
Sunday, 15 November 2020, 7:11 pm | Ian Powell
As a union the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is taking a strong line on what it has concluded to be serious health and safety risks for nurses working in government managed isolation (quarantined) Covid-19 facilities. NZNO NZNO is well ... More >>
Greens Need To Provide An Independent Voice Over New Zealand’s Health System
Tuesday, 3 November 2020, 6:12 am | Ian Powell
The stunning election outcome led to the largely unexpected outcome confirmed on 1 November of both New Zealand’s first single party (Labour) majority government since mixed member representation was introduced in 1996 and a cooperation agreement, ... More >>
Health Minister Talking Bonkers On Postcode Lottery And Simpson Review
Friday, 30 October 2020, 5:41 am | Ian Powell
Minister of Health Chris Hipkins is trying to justify the restructuring of DHBs proposed by the Heather Simpson review of New Zealand’s health and disability system with the argument that it will solve the problem of what he labels as the postcode ... More >>
Leadership Failures Threaten Public Trust And Confidence In Covid-19 Response
Wednesday, 21 October 2020, 6:14 am | Ian Powell
New Zealand’s response to the coronavirus has been outstanding by international standards. Even with the second recent outbreak in Auckland, according to World Health Organisation data as of 16 October, our mortality rate remained one of the best in ... More >>
Medical Profession: A Driver Of Health System Innovation
Friday, 16 October 2020, 6:36 pm | Ian Powell
During my over 30 years representing medical and dental specialists, primarily those employed by district health boards, it never ceased to impress me how much they generate sustainable innovation. Specialists by their nature and training are masters of complexity ... More >>
A ‘Good Death’ Is The Issue, Not Euthanasia
Thursday, 15 October 2020, 6:23 am | Ian Powell
By this Saturday evening we should know the result of the euthanasia referendum held in conjunction with both the general election and cannabis referendum. The euthanasia referendum is unusual in that it is binding and legislation already in place should ... More >>
Campaign To Increase Sick Leave Both Timely And Overdue
Monday, 5 October 2020, 8:48 am | Ian Powell
As someone who has been centrally involved in union leadership for over 30 years I have in recent years been increasingly frustrated by the top leadership of the Council of Trade Unions, the peak union body in New Zealand. While the election of ... More >>
Guided Autocracy: Proposed Health System Reforms In NZ
Friday, 2 October 2020, 4:45 pm | Ian Powell
Ian Powell analyses the Simpson report on NZ’s health system and provides an alternative view on the reforms really needed to achieve a people-centered health system for New Zealand. More >>
Fair Pay Agreements Will Challenge General Practice In New Zealand
Thursday, 1 October 2020, 11:16 am | Ian Powell
Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) are strongly promoted by two of the three current coalition government parties (Labour and Greens). They were a feature of Labour’s 2017 election campaign and it was expected that the Employment Relations Act would have been amended ... More >>
Ian Powell: Does Private Healthcare Threaten Public Healthcare In New Zealand?
Wednesday, 23 September 2020, 12:01 pm | Ian Powell
Is the private health system impacting negatively on the public health system? Health commentator Ian Powell evaluates a recent NZ Herald article by Natalie Akoorie (“Public v private healthcare: Moonlighting, skimming, duplication – should NZ do better”), ... More >>
Rip Cording Canterbury
Thursday, 17 September 2020, 4:21 pm | Ian Powell
In my over 30 years working in New Zealand’s health system I never came across the expression ‘rip cord’ even from the most pretentious jargonistic management consultants. However, it has now appeared on the lips and keyboards at the crisis ... More >>
Perspective Is Critical: Assessing And Improving NZ’s Covid-19 Performance
Friday, 11 September 2020, 5:25 am | Ian Powell
Comparing New Zealand’s elimination approach to the Covid-19 pandemic with the alternatives, the upsides overwhelmingly outweigh the downsides. However, there is much more our ‘liberal technocrat’ Government could be doing to better manage ... More >>
Perspective Is Critical: Assessing And Improving NZ’s Covid-19 Performance
Thursday, 10 September 2020, 4:37 pm | Ian Powell
Comparing NZ’s elimination approach to Covid-19 with the alternatives, the upsides overwhelmingly outweigh the downsides. However, there is more we could be doing to make our system more resilient. More >>
National’s Hospital Rebuild Commitment Lacks Rigour
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 6:32 pm | Ian Powell
On the election hustings in Hastings current National Party leader Judith Collins committed a National led government to investing between $400 to $500 million in a much needed upgrade to Hawke’s Bay Hospital. The focus would be on the main building ... More >>
Correct Media Analysis Followed By Incorrect Conclusion
Tuesday, 8 September 2020, 4:39 pm | Ian Powell
On 5 September the only New Zealand owned national mainstream print and online media outlet Stuff published an editorial on the toxic relationship between the Ministry of Health and Canterbury District Health Board . As well as online it was also published ... More >>
Unravelling Truths In Canterbury District Health Board Leadership Meltdown Scandal
Monday, 24 August 2020, 6:56 pm | Ian Powell
The more debate continues over a scandal, the more inconvenient truths unravel. The meltdown of the executive leadership (senior management) team at Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is no exception to this truism. It is now clear that a decision ... More >>
