1 December 2023 Margie Apa Chief Executive Officer Health New Zealand By email: Margie.apa@health.govt.nz; Dear Margie, Notice of Intended Strike Action Pursuant to section 90 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 the Association of Professionals and Executive Employees Inc (APEX) hereby gives notice to Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) on behalf of all employees who: (i) (ii)
are members of APEX; and are covered by the bargaining initiated by letter from APEX dated 15 June 2023 on behalf of our members employed as a registered physiotherapist or physiotherapy assistant, and any employee substantially employed as a physiotherapist or physiotherapy assistant but who may from time to time use different titles, including Clinical/Team Leaders.
1.
Period of notice given:
16 days
2.
Date on which strike action will begin:
Monday 18 December 2023 at 0731 hours.
3.
Date on which strike action will end:
Sunday 24 December 2023 at 2359 hours.
4.
Nature of strike:
From 0731 on Monday 18 December 2023 to 2359 on Sunday 24 December 2023, APEX members employed in the Bay of Plenty District (excluding those employed in Whakatane Hospital) that are covered by the bargaining for an APEX Physiotherapy Collective Agreement, shall adhere to the following: Members working in in-patients: • No completion of workplace activity stats/data • Members will not provide any teaching, training, education or supervision to students or non-Physiotherapy staff. • Members working in Inpatient Services will see a maximum of 1 patient to each hour they are rostered to work daily (individual encounters) NB: a group session will be classed as 1 individual encounter. • All referrals need to be received by 10am to be considered for same day input. • No Physiotherapy service provision related to any planned surgical activity, for patients who are listed for surgery e.g. • Pre-op group interventions • Pre-op assessments • Pre-op home visits and associated interventions e.g. equipment provision
Unit E Building 3, 195 Main Highway, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051. PO Box 11 369, Ellerslie, Auckland 1542 P 09 526 0280 F 09 579 6213 E ask@apex.org.nz W www.apex.org.nz
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All post-op activity e.g. during acute in-patient admission, out-patient individual or group follow-up and community-based follow-up.
Members working in out-patients: • No completion of workplace activity stats/ data • Members will not provide any teaching, training, education or supervision to students or non-Physiotherapy staff. • Members working in Outpatient Services will see a maximum of 1 patient to each hour they are rostered to work daily (individual encounters) NB: a group session will be classed as 1 individual encounter. • No acceptance of referrals from GPs to Physiotherapy Out-patient Services • No Physiotherapy service provision related to any planned surgical activity, for patients who are listed for surgery e.g. • Pre-op group interventions • Pre-op assessments • Pre-op home visits and associated interventions e.g. equipment provision • All post-op activity e.g. during acute in-patient admission, out-patient individual or group follow-up and community-based follow-up. Members working in COTS & POTS • No completion of workplace activity stats/data • Members will not provide any teaching, training, education or supervision to students or non-Physiotherapy staff. • Members working in Orthopaedic Triage Services i.e. COTS & POTS will see a maximum of 1 patient to every two hours they are rostered to work daily (individual encounters) NB: a group session will be classed as 1 individual e ncounter. Community Allied Health Services • No completion of workplace activity stats/ data • Members will not provide any teaching, training, education or supervision to students or non-Physiotherapy staff. • No Rapid Response Service. • No new patients to Transitional Care Service or TACS will be allocated. • No inter-disciplinary advice/education/mentoring/clinical discussions or joint sessions regarding patient care to assess/reassess or develop intervention plans for clients relating to Transitional care, TACS and Rapid Response Services. • Limit allocation of new referrals from CAHS Physio waiting list to maximum 5 referrals allocated per week across the service. Note: inter-team requests (written and verbal) are classed as a new referral to physiotherapy. • No delegation of any new rehab programmes to Allied Health Assistants. • No Physiotherapy service provision related to any planned surgical activity, for patients who are listed for surgery e.g. o Pre-op group interventions o Pre-op assessments o Pre-op home visits and associated interventions e.g. equipment provision o All post-op activity e.g. during acute in-patient admission, out-patient individual or group follow-up and community-based follow-up. In-patients and Out-patient Team Leaders
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No working out of contracted hours Strict adhere to contracted clinical hours for each Team Leader No assistance with strike planning
The strike will be continuous. 5.
Places where strike will occur: The strike will occur at Tauranga Hospital and all community-based health services within the Bay of Plenty District (excluding Whakatane Hospital), at which physiotherapists and assistants in the employ of Te Whatu Ora are placed, and all associated services thereto.
Kind regards,
Dr Deborah Powell National Secretary
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