67810 (2024). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Health

67810 (2024). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Health: Is the Minister aware of the concerns raised in the Radio New Zealand article Cuts Looming for 'Critical' Public Health Services regarding staff burnout due to increased workloads and bureaucratic challenges; if so, what specific actions, if any, is the Ministry taking to alleviate these issues and support the well-being of public health workers?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised Health New Zealand has implemented initiatives to support the wellbeing of the public health workforce, which include: • Establishing a national staff wellbeing service, which includes a hub to share health and safety-related resources, updates, and lessons learned, and to improve conditions in workplaces. • Opportunities for staff to directly wellbeing access support in a variety of ways. • A series of workshops to build capability of healthcare leaders to support their teams, along with corresponding support for people leaders. • Additional hui to share information and build connections. • A programme of skills-building opportunities. • Programmes to enable more efficient working, such as continued transition to a ‘common desktop’ information management for our National Public Health Service staff.