23 November 2023
Marian Droba
[FYI request #24594 email]
Tēnā koe Marian
Your Official Information Act request, ref: HNZ00031890
Thank you for your email on 31 October 2023 which has been considered under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act). Please see outlined below a response to each part of your
request.
1. Was there a health and safety assessment in the healthcare workplace regarding the
psychosocial hazards and effective approaches for managing psychosocial hazards of the
covid 19 vaccines regarding the mandates for health care workers between May 2021 and
October 2023?
By "healthcare workplace” please describe outpatient clinic settings or, if that is too broad,
just psychiatric clinics such as CREDS/ CADS/ outpatient psychiatric services in
Wellington/ Hutt Valley/ Wairarapa/Kapiti Coast OR any health and safety assessment
regarding psychosocial hazards. The health and safety assessment requested would
relate to the issues in the document Psychosocial Hazards in the Work Environment
advised by WORKSAFE.
If yes please provide the health and safety assessment as this applies to the covid 19
vaccines mandated to healthcare workers-- related to psychosocial health and safety
assessment done.
Your original request was very broad and would require substantial collation and research to locate
and prepare all documents that may have been relevant. We therefore appreciate your suggestion
to refine your request to relate only to Capital & Coast / Hutt Valley.
The former Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley District Health Board did not undertake Health and
Safety assessments for psychological hazards and/or effective approaches for managing
psychological hazards in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccination) Order
2021 requiring affected workers in the Health and Disability Sector to be vaccinated.
2. If there was no Psychosocial Hazards assessment made please explain why, when there will be
one done and if one is not planned why?
There is a growing body of scientific literature related to the psychosocial consequences of
mandated vaccines in health workers related to loss of ability to have one's personal
physician advise on care, feeling trapped or powerless regarding managing one's basic
security via loss of work, bullying by coworkers etc.
Te Whatu Ora has no plans to complete a Psychosocial Hazard assessment now that the Health
Order and mandatory requirement for workers in the Health and Disability Sector to be vaccinated
against COVID-19 has come to an end.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[Health New Zealand request email].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Jamie Duncan
Acting Group Director Operations
Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley District
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
