About Us

Our goal is to provide an environment that supports individual career goals by engaging staff in their personal and professional growth, fostering key clinical and high performing staff, and providing managers with specific skills and expertise to ensure high quality services are achieved.

Staff Engagement

A number of local engagement groups meet quarterly to encourage a co-operative working environment and joint discussions that ensure ongoing improvements and refinements to existing services together with the introduction of new services/technology as required. The parties to these engagement groups include:

• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS)
• Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA)
• Bipartite Forum (all CTU affiliated unions are invited)
• Safe Staff & Healthy Workplace

Talent Management

Services identify and support potential leaders in various occupational groups to develop both technical and managerial skills, ensuring succession planning is facilitated. Training and development initiatives include the opportunity to participate in management, leadership and clinical programmes nationally and internationally including:

• Continuing Medical Education for medical staff
• Professional Development recognition programmes for nursing staff
• Specific training identified for Associate Clinical Nurse Managers
• Regular leadership workshops co-ordinated by the Learning and Development team
• “Grow our Own” staffing initiatives through additional Maori scholarships for staff and a Pirihau Hauroa Maori Scholarship for students who whakapapa to Te Tai Tokerau hapu and iwi
• Hosting advanced medical trainees under the Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) Advanced Trainee Scheme (ATS)
• Participation in HWNZ Northern Regional Training Hub for the “Transitional Years” project which focuses on Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) and Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2)

Management and Leadership Capability

Clinical leadership forums have been established at Northland DHB for medical, nursing, and allied health leaders to develop their roles and support professional development of leadership and management skills. A key focus for Northland DHB is engaging in clinical networks and effective partnerships between managers and clinicians at clinical governance level.  Partnership models include:

• Clinical leadership operating at senior executive level
• Clinicians are an integral part of the decision making process that drives key projects within the organisation
• Clinical governance mechanisms at various levels of the organisation to support better outcomes for patients

Health and Wellbeing

Northland DHB’s Occupational Health and Safety team actively promotes a number of high profile programmes and initiatives including:

• Smokefree/auahi kore
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Active management of ACC rehabilitation plans
• On-site occupational health assessments
• Workstation assessment programme
• A range of specific policies and guidelines to protect and enhance employees’ health, safety and wellbeing
• A collaborative approach to health and safety through a consultative agreement with unions on-site

Workforce Profile and Equal Employment Opportunities

Northland DHB adheres to the good employer requirements in section 118 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 which cover:

• Good and safe working conditions
• An equal employment opportunities programme
• The impartial selection of suitably qualified persons for appointment
• Recognition within the workplace of the aspirations and needs of Maori, other ethnic or minority groups, women and people with disabilities
• Training and skill enhancement of employees

Being a Good Employer

Northland DHB’s activities against the seven key elements of being a ‘good employer’ are summarised below.