Councillors have the option of attending the public forum before Economic, Finance and Community committee meetings. Photo: Stuff / Anthony Phelps
The health system is in a "state of chaos" as it undergoes a restructure, one of Marlborough's health bosses concedes, after asking councillors to champion the need for "local stewardship" of health services.
Marlborough Primary Health Organisation (PHO) chief executive Beth Tester made the request, alongside the organisation's chair and former councillor Mark Peters, to the Marlborough District Council's economic, finance and community committee public forum last month.
The forum, currently under a year-long trial, was introduced by committee chair Jamie Arbuckle earlier this year, and allowed members of the public to speak for up to five minutes before a meeting.
Tester said the organisation's major challenge was the health reforms.
Te Whatu Ora intended to axe up to 1600 health sector staff under a restructure. Last month, 300 fulltime roles in "back-room hospital departments" were confirmed as the first wave of redundancies.
It was understood the restructure looked to delete masses of executive leaders. Frontline jobs were not affected.
More than 270 second-tier leaders were swept up from separate district health boards in the health reforms that took place in mid-2022, as some leaders had duplicated functions when Te Whatu Ora formed.
"Our Te Whatu Ora colleagues have all been disestablished and don't know whether they have jobs," Tester said.
"That will start unfolding, as to who gets what positions, coming forward in the next few months."
She said it was a "state of chaos".
"The government plans the future of our health service," she said.
"It kind of seems to be done a little bit ad hoc and on the hoof at the moment.
"We are providing some stability in the system. At the moment primary and community care is not being reviewed, but we know it will be in the future, and the future of primary health organisations is questionable."
Marlborough Primary Health Organisation chief executive Beth Tester at Covid testing at Horton Park in 2020. Photo: Stuff
Tester said she was there to "really push the fact" they would like Marlborough and its core representatives to maintain a "stewardship" over the health system.
"That's with our partners and colleagues here in Marlborough ... so that we can have some drive and ownership and direction of what is important for us in our community, and for it not to be actually taken over, from our side.
"The reality is, it's all unknown, but we thought we'd come today just to let you know what the land lies like, and that we actually do want to work together with everyone here in Marlborough and also with some of the resources you have to support us in that journey.
"Because it will be a journey, and it's not going to be without challenges."
Peters said they wanted to partner with the council because they would "need support".
"It's not monetary support, it's just community support to say that the local people making decisions for local people, particularly around the areas of health, are a really, really important part of what Marlborough needs to have," he said.
Representatives of three other groups also presented to the forum; Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau general manager Corey Hebberd, and from Grey Power Marlborough and Rotary Blenheim South.
Hebberd provided an update about its Matariki celebration, which the council provided a $5000 grant towards.
Grey Power vice president Annie Percy told councillors that the group was working to make the homes of some older people safer due to concerns that they might be fragile in their homes should there be an emergency.