Dear Health New Zealand,
I am requesting information based on the 5 November 2021 correspondence below from HealthSource to pharmacies:

"Follow up on Vaccination Mandate for Northern Region District Health Boards
Dear service provider
On Tuesday, 2 November 2021, HealthSource, on behalf of the four Northern Region DHBs,including contractors to healthAlliance and HealthSource (NRDHBs), sent out a letter outlining the requirements of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 as it applies to contractors, service providers, volunteers and others who provide services in a setting where healthcare is delivered.

While you may have already had some direct contact with a DHB on this matter, in order to streamline compliance for NRDHBs, contractors and service providers, HealthSource will be collecting and centrally managing responses on behalf of the NRDHBs.

We acknowledge this communication has gone to a wide group of DHB contractors and providers. This letter may not apply to you if you do not provide a service to any of the NRDHBs, in line with the indicated guidance below.

Each of the NRDHB’s are a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (the Act) and are required to mitigate risks to their employees, health consumers and those that provide them with services. As such, and in accordance with the Order, any contractors, volunteers or service providers coming onto a DHB site, or delivering care and support services in a person’s home or place of residence, or if in the course of fulfilling contracted services for a DHB are assumed to be in close contact with pa ents or staff and will be required to be fully vaccinated to the same extent as if they were a DHB employee.

This means that anyone in New Zealand who provides services within a healthcare setting must have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 15 November 2021 and have their second dose of the vaccine by 1 January 2022.

If you or your business are unable to comply with the order, this may impact any contracts held.
...
Please complete the above declaration by no later than 12 November 2021. If we do not hear from you by 12 November 2021, we will assume that you or your employees, consultants, contractors or volunteers are not vaccinated and will proceed on that basis.

For any questions we can be contacted at communications at (@) healthsourcenz.co.nz
With kind regards,
Ian Dodson
Joint Interim CEO
HealthSource"

1. Please share the minutes of the meeting, correspondence, memos etc regarding the decision of HealthSource to send this above letter to pharmacies .

2. Please share the risk assessment HealthSource undertook on pharmacies that was used to mitigate the risk of the covid-19 disease with the specific control measure of vaccination.

3. Please share how many businesses were unable to comply with this order by 12 November 2021.

4. Please share the number of business that did not comply with the the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 and which had their contracts impacted.
5. Please share the details of how contracts were impacted for non-compliance

Yours faithfully,

Erika Whittome