Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand.

  • New Zealand. Department of Health.
Date:
[1959]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/144 (page 12)
    PLUNKET SOCIETY The total of £204,935 paid to the Plunket Society was £28,245 more than the previous year, this being largely accounted for by a special grant of £23,000 from the Social Security Fund by way of special assistance towards the operating expenses of Karitane Hospitals. Payments made in the past two years are summarised as follows: Table 4 From Vote “Health”— Nurses’ salaries Nurses’ car milage Salaries of professional, clerical staff, and travelling expenses .. Contributions in respect of new motor cars Contribution to Dominion Training Centre Karitane hospitals: Subsidy on new capital works . . 1957-58 £ 96,684 12,160 6,554 2,055 3,000 1,324 1958-59 £ 97,674 12,350 6,639 1,293 3,000 Totals 121,777 120,956 From Social Security Fund— Hospital benefits £2 for £2> subsidy in respect of donations to hospitals Special grant 43,400 11,513 45,451 15,528 23,000 Totals 54,913 83,979 Grand totals £176,690 £204,935 GENERAL As the Department continues to grow and its services expand more administrative problems arise and there is a constant need to review the administrative procedures. Notwithstanding difficulties in staffing and accommodation much progress has been made in the past year and the foundation laid for major improvements in the future. A Depart¬ ment with a staff of close on 6,000 and an expenditure of over £42 mil¬ lion is in every sense “big business”, and when account is taken of its complexities and diverse activities there must be few private enterprises that have a bigger task in management. Comments on items of note follow— Staffing Poor recruitment of career administrative staff over many years when work has continued to grow is now reflected in difficulty in filling some of the supervisory posts. Though more young men have joined in the past two or three years the numbers are still inadequate, and such as there are are as yet too young to take over responsibility for other staff. The filling of posts at the first level of supervision is the cause of con¬ siderable concern, and as time goes on this can be expected to project into the higher levels. The large total staff and the many comings and goings lead to an inordinate amount of staff work. Senior executives find that more and more time must be spent on problems of staffing with less time to devote to the administrative tasks which should be their primary concern.