Media advisory: health workers to protest at Waikato DHB for better mental health services
16 Apr 2015
Tags: District Health Boards WAIKATO Waikato District Health Board Auckland District Health Board Counties Manukau District Health Board Waitemata District Health Board
Waikato DHB mental health workers, members of the PSA, will protest on Friday April 17 for the inaugural Better, Safer, Fairer day in support of their system for rostering that the DHB is currently proposing to scrap, to the detriment of mental health staff and patients.
What: Protest for ‘Better, Safer, Fairer’ day
Who: Mental health workers and PSA members from Waikato DHB, supported by a bus-load of Auckland mental health workers
Where: Waikato Hospital Gate 7, Selwyn St, Hamilton West
When: 2.30pm, Friday April 17
The PSA has recently written an open letter to Waikato DHB chief executive Nigel Murray regarding a review into recent incidents at the Henry Bennett Centre, calling on Murray to ensure a wide-ranging independent review is undertaken and that potentially harmful changes to the rostering system are not carried out.
The 4x2 rostering system is widely used in mental health facilities nationwide and is proven to be safer for staff and patients. In support of the 4x2, a bus load of PSA members from Auckland DHBs will travel to Hamilton to express their outrage that their Waikato colleagues could lose this world-leading system.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Letter from PSA’s Erin Polaczuk to Nigel Murray, chief executive of Waikato DHB
http://www.psa.org.nz/assets/PDFs/Letter-to-Waikato-DHB-re-Henry-Bennett-Centre.pdf
Friday 17 April has been designated Better, Safer, Fairer day in support of the 4x2 roster. A protest will be held at Waikato DHB with mental health staff from Waikato and Auckland.
