Change again

I wrote this in August

So, a new broom sweeps clean.

Waikato District Health Board is once again going through massive changes.

Our new COO was given the task a few years ago to draw up a report about the ailing DHB which was quite damning. She was then employed end last year to make the changes she'd recommended.

About two weeks ago the Change Proposal was released. I read through it kinda wondering what difference it would make as I've seen so many change proposals which never really "change" much.

I attended one of the talks she gave and was quite impressed with her. 

She has given staff the opportunity to have their say in consultation in a one-on-one, which has been snapped up by so many she's had to extend the time.

I think the bulk of the issues really came to light during the first COVID lockdown. Lack of transparency. I get so frustrated and spend hours trying to find out who does what (all our managers had disappeared to work from home). She mentioned that this lack of transparency is appalling. It's kind of like everyone has their own little kingdom and try to give out as little as possible about what they do, so no-one knows how little they actually do. 

I, for example, have no idea what my business managers and service manager actually do cos it's certainly not what I'd think they should be doing. Most of the items that need attending to filter their way down through the line until they land on my desk. As a result I am not just leading the team, I am managing like a business/service manager. I challenge but as I have no idea what their job description is it's difficult. I often get told that managers delegate. That I understand, but there is delegation and then there's avoiding work!

What I experienced in the UK is totally different - all service managers and business managers are hands on and always visible. This lot of managers here at the DHB seldom if ever visit us, have no inclination to find out what we do and make it clear that they don't want to know when I talk about our work. The service manager doesn't know who I am outside of meetings. If he sees me, looks right through me as though I don't exist.

Anyways, the change maker got around this by making every department head report to her monthly for 6 months with reams of paperwork. She was astounded how many didn't know what the departments under their remit did and when asked about something they would hide away under some pretense or another. It seems as though she's seen through all this nonsense and weeded out those that don't deserve their positions.

Well, the upshot is that there are 60 positions being disestablished and 20 new ones created. A complete restructure that has rattled so many cages, there are huddles of people around the hospital discussing things in whispers. We can only assume that these are the ones that are in the firing line.

Clinical Operations, Service Manager and 2 x Business Managers under which Respiratory/Sleep falls are all being disestablished.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am. But I do have misgivings about who will take the new position of Operations Manager. But I suppose I have to think that it cannot be any worse than what we've had!

I feel so old and jaded lol.

Seen and experienced too much to be more than skeptical.

That was then...

******

Now

There has been so much bad publicity for this DHB that they are now paralysed by indecision.

The change maker has been accused of bullying and is on stress leave.

So once again we are stuck without any resolution and continue to be run with inefficiency, managers indifferent to the struggle of those on the ground.

I keep hearing this song by Aerosmith Dream On