Trips to health expos criticised

Ten district health boards sent up to five staff each to a recruitment expo in London as part of a $2 million overseas hiring drive, the National Party told Parliament yesterday.

National health spokesman Tony Ryall said all but one of the DHBs went to a second expo in Manchester within a week.

Waikato District Health Board said in a letter that three of its staff went to the Opportunities New Zealand Expos last October. They interviewed nine people at the London and Manchester expos and hired four.

Mr Ryall said it was a "waste of money" for 10 DHBs to fly staff halfway around the world to hire recruits.

Rather than compete with each other, DHBs should work together in a "single shopfront" like NHS Careers in Britain did - where one outfit recruited overseas staff into the NHS and hospitals using that pool.

Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) chief executive Garry Smith said in a letter the ADHB and Counties Manukau and Waitemata DHBs were represented at the careers expos in 2004/05 under the umbrella Healthcare in the Auckland Region.

"The reason the three health boards joined stands is to have a greater presence for healthcare in Auckland, as well as providing greater value for money."

By representing themselves, the DHBs did not have to pay recruitment fees for hiring staff.

ADHB had hired 70 staff from overseas and expected to hire another 50 in the next six months. Most were in nursing and midwifery roles.

Mr Smith said the DHB had spent about $70,500 to attend seven expos in Britain and the US.

It saved about $315,000.

Steve Maharey, responding to questions in Parliament on behalf of Health Minister Pete Hodgson, said district health boards regularly undertook a range of overseas recruitment activities including purchasing job advertisements in newspapers and participating in career expos.

- NZPA