Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the union does not believe the safety and security implications of scrapping half of Health NZ's IT workforce have been considered realistically. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The union for public service workers has taken the "unprecedented" step of asking the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate Health NZ's plan to cut nearly half its IT staff as part of the government's cost-cutting drive.
In December Te Whatu Ora announced plans to cut 47 percent of roles - or 1100 positions, including vacancies - in its nationwide Data and Digital team.
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Public Service Association acting national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said it could have serious consequences for patients if those jobs go.
"The PSA is taking the unusual step of asking the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate cuts to data and digital teams at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand because of the huge gamble with patient privacy and safety we believe Health NZ is taking with plans to cut almost half of IT staff."
Asking the commissioner to help was not just unusual but unprecedented, she said: "but it's necessary, because the government is gambling with patient records".
Health NZ had important obligations under the Health Information Privacy Code and the Privacy Act, she said. "But we don't believe the risks of breaching these obligations have been properly analysed in the rush to save money. The data and information these teams are responsible for is vital for clinicians to ensure the best possible treatment for patients.
Fitzsimons said Health NZ's IT staff had already warned health agency bosses late last year that the restructure raised the risks of unplanned outages.
"The government is on notice that Health NZ's IT systems are already under huge pressure and that the directorate is understaffed. The risk of a cybersecurity breaches is very real as the Waikato Hospital ransomware attack in 2021 showed," she said.
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"The government should be investing in IT upgrades and more, not fewer staff, to better protect sensitive patient records and ensure the benefits of centralising computer systems under the health restructure are realised.
"We urge the Privacy Commissioner to use his powers of investigation here before long term damage is done to the health system. We invite him to talk to impacted staff who know well the risks to patients from unplanned outages."
"It's absolutely critical patient data is accurate, secure and available 24-7 for clinicians."
In a statement, Health NZ said it takes the privacy of patient information "extremely seriously".
"That will always be a critical consideration for us," acting chief information technology officer Darren Douglass said.
Health NZ said the opportunity for feedback on the change consultation document for its Digital Services team had now closed.
"The team has been highly engaged in the consultation process. We will now take time to carefully consider all feedback before any final decisions are made," Douglass said.
"All decision documents will be shared with affected staff first. We will update staff in the coming weeks on the timeline for next steps."
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said it was reviewing the material that had been provided by the PSA, but had no other comment at this stage.
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