Data on Medical Registrars and PGY1 Positions
Sandra Anderson made this Official Information request to Health New Zealand
Currently waiting for a response from Health New Zealand, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: Sandra Anderson
Dear Health New Zealand,
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act regarding the training and distribution of medical registrars and PGY1 positions in New Zealand over the past five years. My aim is to highlight potential safety gaps, issues with leave availability for medical registrars, and concerns about the training pipeline for general medicine registrar positions.
Specifically, I request the following information:
1/ The number of General Medicine Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of the last five years.
2/ The number of Junior Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of the last five years.
3/ The number of registrars who progressed to registrar positions as PGY3 (Postgraduate Year 3) versus PGY4 and above for each of the last five years.
4/ The number of Senior Registrars per district, broken down by specialty, for each of the last five years.
5/ Data on the distribution and equity of Senior Registrars across all districts over the past five years.
6/For each of the last five years, please provide the average number of weeks of annual leave actually taken by Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district.
7/For each of the last five years, please provide the following information regarding annual leave for Medical Registrars, categorized by Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district:
7a/ The total number of annual leave requests submitted.
7b/ The total number of annual leave requests that were denied.
7c/ The total number of weeks of annual leave requested.
7d/ The total number of weeks of annual leave that were denied.
Additionally, if there is a shortage of registrars, I would like to understand how PGY1 positions are being managed to ensure that the pipeline allows for an appropriate number of General Medicine Registrars by district. Specifically:
8/ For each of the last five years, please provide the number of PGY1 (Postgraduate Year 1) positions available versus the number of applicants in each district, to determine if PGY1 positions are oversubscribed in certain districts.
9/ What specific measures have been taken or are planned to align the number of PGY1 positions with the future needs for General Medicine Registrars across all districts? Please provide details of any workforce planning strategies or programs implemented in the past five years.
10/ How does the distribution of PGY1 positions across districts impact the availability and recruitment of General Medicine Registrars in subsequent years? Please provide any analyses or data that illustrate this impact over the past five years.
I believe this information is crucial for addressing workforce planning and ensuring the safety and sustainability of medical services nationwide.
Yours faithfully,
Sandra Anderson
From: hnzOIA
Tēnā koe,
Thank you for contacting Health NZ, Te Whatu Ora. 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
Health NZ, Te Whatu Ora.
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From: hnzOIA
Kia ora Sandra,
Thank you for your request for official information for:
1/ The number of General Medicine Registrars in New Zealand per district
for each of the last five years.
2/ The number of Junior Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of
the last five years.
3/ The number of registrars who progressed to registrar positions as PGY3
(Postgraduate Year 3) versus PGY4 and above for each of the last five
years.
4/ The number of Senior Registrars per district, broken down by specialty,
for each of the last five years.
5/ Data on the distribution and equity of Senior Registrars across all
districts over the past five years.
6/For each of the last five years, please provide the average number of
weeks of annual leave actually taken by Medical Registrars, categorized by
Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district.
7/For each of the last five years, please provide the following
information regarding annual leave for Medical Registrars, categorized by
Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district:
7a/ The total number of annual leave requests submitted.
7b/ The total number of annual leave requests that were denied.
7c/ The total number of weeks of annual leave requested.
7d/ The total number of weeks of annual leave that were denied.
Additionally, if there is a shortage of registrars, I would like to
understand how PGY1 positions are being managed to ensure that the
pipeline allows for an appropriate number of General Medicine Registrars
by district. Specifically:
8/ For each of the last five years, please provide the number of PGY1
(Postgraduate Year 1) positions available versus the number of applicants
in each district, to determine if PGY1 positions are oversubscribed in
certain districts.
9/ What specific measures have been taken or are planned to align the
number of PGY1 positions with the future needs for General Medicine
Registrars across all districts? Please provide details of any workforce
planning strategies or programs implemented in the past five years.
10/ How does the distribution of PGY1 positions across districts impact
the availability and recruitment of General Medicine Registrars in
subsequent years? Please provide any analyses or data that illustrate this
impact over the past five years.
In order to provide you with the information requested, could you please
clarify what do you mean by "General Medicine Practitioner". It could
refer to registrars with a general scope of practice or registrars
training in "general medicine" as a specific subspecialty of the
vocational scope of Internal Medicine. "Junior" and "Senior" registrars
may refer to registrars in basic and advanced training programmes.
Please note, under section 15 of the Official Information Act 1982, any
clarification or amendments made to a request within seven days after the
date it is received, that request may be treated as a new request and the
time limit for the response restarts.
We look forward to receiving your response.
Ngâ mihi nui
Shane Sharma (he/him)
Advisor, Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief Executive
Spark Central, 44-48 Willis Street, Wellington| PO Box 5013, Wellington
6140
Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora
[1]www.TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: Sandra Anderson
Dear Shane,
Thank you for your response.
To clarify, I did not use the phrase "General Medicine Practitioners" in my original request. My request specifically refers to General Medicine Registrars, who are training under the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). These registrars include those in general internal medicine and its subspecialties, aligning with roles outlined in the NZRDA run descriptions, such as those found on the Auckland Doctors website for Internal Medicine & Medical Specialties.
For context, examples of relevant registrar roles include:
1/ General Medicine Registrars (e.g., General Medicine, Cardiology, Respiratory, Renal, Gastroenterology)
2/ Internal Medicine Specialties (e.g., Haematology, Infectious Diseases, Endocrinology, Neurology, Rheumatology)
3/ Other roles within internal medicine, like Older People’s Health, Rehabilitation, and Medical Relief Registrars.
These positions are clearly defined in the Te Toka Tumai Registrar Run Descriptions provided by NZRDA. For further reference, here is a link to the relevant run descriptions: Auckland Doctors Internal Medicine & Medical Specialties.
http://www.aucklanddoctors.co.nz/rmos/cu...
Regarding Junior and Senior Registrars:
1/ Junior Registrars are those who have not yet passed both RACP exams.
2/ Senior Registrars have passed both exams and are progressing through advanced training, which corresponds with a step-up in pay as defined by NZRDA SECA.
I hope this clarification helps. Please let me know if you need further information.
Regards,
Sandra Anderson
From: hnzOIA
Tēnā koe Sandra,
Thank you for your email asking for the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
"I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act
regarding the training and distribution of medical registrars and PGY1
positions in New Zealand over the past five years. My aim is to highlight
potential safety gaps, issues with leave availability for medical
registrars, and concerns about the training pipeline for general medicine
registrar positions.
Specifically, I request the following information:
1/ The number of General Medicine Registrars in New Zealand per district
for each of the last five years.
2/ The number of Junior Registrars in New Zealand per district for each of
the last five years.
3/ The number of registrars who progressed to registrar positions as PGY3
(Postgraduate Year 3) versus PGY4 and above for each of the last five
years.
4/ The number of Senior Registrars per district, broken down by specialty,
for each of the last five years.
5/ Data on the distribution and equity of Senior Registrars across all
districts over the past five years.
6/For each of the last five years, please provide the average number of
weeks of annual leave actually taken by Medical Registrars, categorized by
Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district.
7/For each of the last five years, please provide the following
information regarding annual leave for Medical Registrars, categorized by
Junior and Senior Registrars, and broken down by district:
7a/ The total number of annual leave requests submitted.
7b/ The total number of annual leave requests that were denied.
7c/ The total number of weeks of annual leave requested.
7d/ The total number of weeks of annual leave that were denied.
Additionally, if there is a shortage of registrars, I would like to
understand how PGY1 positions are being managed to ensure that the
pipeline allows for an appropriate number of General Medicine Registrars
by district. Specifically:
8/ For each of the last five years, please provide the number of PGY1
(Postgraduate Year 1) positions available versus the number of applicants
in each district, to determine if PGY1 positions are oversubscribed in
certain districts.
9/ What specific measures have been taken or are planned to align the
number of PGY1 positions with the future needs for General Medicine
Registrars across all districts? Please provide details of any workforce
planning strategies or programs implemented in the past five years.
10/ How does the distribution of PGY1 positions across districts impact
the availability and recruitment of General Medicine Registrars in
subsequent years? Please provide any analyses or data that illustrate this
impact over the past five years."
This email is to let you know that Health NZ 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 28 November 2024.
This extension is required because the volume and consultation necessary
to make a decision on your request cannot reasonably be made within the
original time limit under section 15A(1)(a) and (b) of the Act.
If you have any questions, please contact us
at [1][email address]
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 [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Shane Sharma
Government Services
Spark Central, 44-48 Willis Street, Wellington| PO Box 5013, Wellington
6140
Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora
[3]www.TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Statement of confidentiality: This email 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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2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
3. http://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/
From: Sandra Anderson
Dear Shane,
I am writing to follow up on my Official Information Act request submitted on September 26, 2024, and clarified on October 21, 2024. In your last correspondence dated October 24, 2024, you extended the deadline for your response to November 28, 2024.
As the due date has now passed, I would appreciate an update on my OIA request.
Yours faithfully,
Sandra Anderson
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