King Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 23 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5274. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Minister of Health: Is he confident that the Government is adequately resourcing the public health workforce?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN (Minister of Health): Yes. New Zealand’s public health budget will reach a record $15.9 billion in the coming year—an increase of over $4 billion since 2008-09. Under this Government this additional investment has allowed us to grow our front-line public health workforce. The latest information available confirms that there are 7648 doctors and 22092 nurse full-time equivalents employed by district health boards. That is 1718 more doctors and 3768 more nurses compared with 2008.Hon Annette King: If there is sufficient funding why have doctors at North Shore Hospital this week warned of a mismatch between staffing levels and patient workload which is putting patients’ safety at risk?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well North Shore Hospital is in the Waitematā District Health Board. It is the fastest-growing district health board in New Zealand in terms of population. There is an increasing workload there but I have got every confidence in the senior clinicians and the chair Lester Levy that they are up to the task of matching resources to the demands. At North Shore Hospital—I can tell you it is the hospital that my local electorate goes to—people who go there are very very happy with the service because actually they are not waiting under fluorescent lights for 24 hours like they were back in 2008.Hon Annette King: If resources are keeping up why did the North Shore Hospital doctors this week warn that the work environment is dangerous to staff and patients and patients—listen to this Minister—have been left unseen for long periods with only cursory medical attention 10 years on from when I was—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is enough of that question.Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: I can tell you a story about going to North Shore Hospital with Tony Ryall in 2008 and meeting a young man with a broken leg who had been waiting in the foyer for over 24 hours. That just does not happen anymore. And as for anything that that member says she wants to check her own record I think because you know you would have to see how it is now.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table for the Minister the Resident Doctors Association newsletter dated this week—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has been described. I just need to ascertain from the member how easy it is—Hon Annette King: It is an internal document.Mr SPEAKER: On that basis I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular internal document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: If the medical workforce in our hospitals is sufficient why did “an overwhelming 81.3 percent” of GPs responding to the latest New Zealand doctor poll say that they face problems in getting first specialist assessments for their patients in public hospitals up on the same poll taken in 2006?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: What I can say is that we are providing 50000 more first specialist assessments per year. So I think when you delve into those facts it is actually easier than ever to get a first specialist assessment. I would be very interested to see what the question actually was.Barbara Stewart: What plans does he have to prepare for the future shortage of dental therapists in New Zealand particularly as over 70 percent are now aged 45 and over and an increasing number of dental graduates are being employed by private dental practices?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: We could recycle Mrs King but I do not think that is going to happen. Apart from that if you go to the Ministry of Health’s website you will see all the Health Workforce New Zealand plans there. It is all laid out very carefully so go and have a look.Hon Annette King: In light of his answer to my last supplementary question if there is a sufficient medical workforce in New Zealand why did the number of people being sent back to their GP having been refused a first specialist assessment increase by a whopping 38 percent at the Waitematā District Health Board—his own district health board—in 2014-15?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: Well we know that that is not actually correct because that data has never been collected. But what we do know is that under that Government when Labour was there it kicked 30000 people off surgical waiting lists. That is the only fact in this conversation.Hon Annette King: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act request to the Waitematā District Health Board pointing out the 38 percent—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just need the date of it.Hon Annette King: The date of it is 21 July 2015.Mr SPEAKER: I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular Official Information Act request. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Hon Annette King: What was his response when he was informed by the Ministry of Health just over 2 months ago that five large district health boards are blowing out their staff budget because of demand and the high cost of covering medical vacancies due to the lack of a trained workforce?Hon Dr JONATHAN COLEMAN: That is just not correct. There is a trained workforce there. We have got over 5000 new doctors and nurses compared with 8 years ago and our hospitals are well staffed. In addition we have put an extra $1.7 million into the budget which will come into effect over the next 4 years. So I just do not agree with what you are saying Mrs King. Sorry.