Trends in Junior Doctors Leaving NZ for Australia and Retention Policies
Chrystal Hill made this Official Information request to Health New Zealand
The request was successful.
From: Chrystal Hill
Dear Health New Zealand,
I am writing under the Official Information Act 1982 to request specific information regarding the trend of junior doctors leaving New Zealand for Australia before completing their specialist training. My enquiry is as follows:
1/ Annual Departure Data: Please provide the number of junior doctors (categorised as house officers and registrars) who have left the New Zealand healthcare system annually for the past five years, specifically those leaving before completing their specialist training.
2/ Stage of Training at Time of Departure: For these doctors, could you provide a detailed breakdown indicating at which stage of their training (e.g., Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1), Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2), Registrar, Senior Registrar) they chose to leave?
3/ Destination Post-Departure: Specifically, how many of these doctors relocated to Australia for further career opportunities? If possible, include any available data on the types of positions or roles they pursued in Australia.
4/ Reasons for Departure: Do you have any qualitative or survey data indicating the primary reasons for these doctors choosing to leave New Zealand for Australia? This may include factors such as better pay, working conditions, or career advancement opportunities.
5/ Policies on Retention vs New Employment: Are there any policies or strategies that Health New Zealand has implemented or is considering to retain existing house officers and registrars, as opposed to employing new ones?
6/ District Health Board Breakdown: Additionally, could the provided information be summarised by district or District Health Board (DHB), as well as overall? This would greatly assist in understanding regional variations and specific challenges faced by different DHBs in retaining junior doctors.
This information is vital to understand the dynamics of medical workforce migration between New Zealand and Australia, especially concerning the retention of junior doctors within the New Zealand healthcare system. I request that the information be provided in a direct reply and in an electronic format.
I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Chrystal Hill
From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for contacting Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ. This is an automatic
reply to confirm that we have received your email. Depending on the
nature of your request you may not receive a response for up to 20 working
days. We will try to respond to your query as quickly as possible.
Ngā mihi
Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ.
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From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand
Tēnā koe Chrystal,
Thank you for your email of 30 November 2023, asking for the following
information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
1/ Annual Departure Data: Please provide the number of junior doctors
(categorised as house officers and registrars) who have left the New
Zealand healthcare system annually for the past five years, specifically
those leaving before completing their specialist training.
2/ Stage of Training at Time of Departure: For these doctors, could you
provide a detailed breakdown indicating at which stage of their training
(e.g., Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1), Postgraduate Year 2 (PGY2), Registrar,
Senior Registrar) they chose to leave?
3/ Destination Post-Departure: Specifically, how many of these doctors
relocated to Australia for further career opportunities? If possible,
include any available data on the types of positions or roles they pursued
in Australia.
4/ Reasons for Departure: Do you have any qualitative or survey data
indicating the primary reasons for these doctors choosing to leave New
Zealand for Australia? This may include factors such as better pay,
working conditions, or career advancement opportunities.
5/ Policies on Retention vs New Employment: Are there any policies or
strategies that Health New Zealand has implemented or is considering to
retain existing house officers and registrars, as opposed to employing new
ones?
6/ District Health Board Breakdown: Additionally, could the provided
information be summarised by district or District Health Board (DHB), as
well as overall? This would greatly assist in understanding regional
variations and specific challenges faced by different DHBs in retaining
junior doctors.
This information is vital to understand the dynamics of medical workforce
migration between New Zealand and Australia, especially concerning the
retention of junior doctors within the New Zealand healthcare system. I
request that the information be provided in a direct reply and in an
electronic format.
This email is to let you know that Te Whatu Ora needs more time to make a
decision on your request.
The Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no
later than 20 working days after the day we received your request.
Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
decision, to 5 February 2024.
This extension is required because the consultations and
research necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a
proper response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [1][Health New Zealand request email]
If you are not happy with this extension, 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
Stacey Wilson
Advisor | Kaitohutohu
Te Whatu Ora Ministerial Team
****************************************************************************
Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
****************************************************************************
References
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1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
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From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand
Kia ora Chrystal,
Thank you for your request for information regarding Trends in Drs leaving
NZ for Australia on 30 November 2023. Please find attached our response
to your request.
If you have any questions, please get in touch at
[1][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 [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi,
Stacey
Te Whatu Ora Ministerial Team
****************************************************************************
Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
****************************************************************************
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
2. file:///tmp/foiextract20240209-34-su4qym#
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