John MacDonald: The get-stuff-done guy is on a collision course

If you believed the Prime Minister when he said yesterday that he still has confidence in the now-former health minister Shane Reti, you will believe anything.

Let’s face it, though, he couldn’t have said anything different. But whether you believe it or not - that’s another thing. And I don’t.

Because he clearly doesn’t - or he clearly doesn’t have as much faith in Shane Reti as he used to. Otherwise, Simeon Brown wouldn’t be the new health minister.

And who would want to be Simeon Brown? Being the minister of health, you’re on a hiding to nothing.

And who would want to be working in the health system? I wouldn’t. Because, trust me, it’s about to get ugly.

I know people working in health might say “it’s pretty ugly already mate”.

In fact, one person I know who works pretty high up in the health system - and who is a big advocate of the public system - they’ve been telling anyone who will listen that they should be getting private health insurance. If they can afford it, of course.

So here’s why I think things are about to get ugly - or uglier - with Simeon Brown in charge of health.

Christopher Luxon says he’s given him the job because he “gets things done”.

Which is a term that drives me nuts because this whole idea of “getting things done” says nothing about quality or improvement. It’s just ticking things off the to-do list. Or ticking things off the quarterly plan.

And Simeon Brown has form. He’s got a track record from the other ministerial roles he’s had so far where he gets stuff done by telling people what they’re going to do.

Local government. He’s made it very clear to local councils who is running the shop. And it’s not them.

Transport .He’s flying in the face of what the experts say about speed and he’s going to increase speed limits.

And, as of yesterday’s announcement, Dunedin can kiss goodbye to the hospital the people thought they were getting and the hospital they still want to get.

Because the Prime Minister is going to be putting Simeon on a plane south to bang some heads together.

Which is what the Prime Minister was really saying yesterday. It might’ve sounded like he was saying that the new health minister got the job because he gets stuff done.

But what he really meant, was that Simeon’s got the gig because he’s good at banging heads together.

Don’t get me wrong - he does get stuff done. But is that really the approach we should be taking when it comes to something as critical as our health system? I don’t think it is.

Not that I think Shane Reti was up for the job, either.

Last year I ended up in hospital for a night after some pretty bad complications from a flu bug I picked-up travelling back from the UK.

And if you ask me how I felt about that experience - it was brilliant.

Sure, I would have preferred not to be there in the first place. But I couldn’t have asked for more.

And, a lot of the time, from what I hear people say - it seems that most are pretty happy - if not delighted - with the care they receive in hospital.

Trick is, though, that’s once they get in the door.

Get in the door of your local hospital and, generally, you’re fine.

The only proviso I would put on that is that I live in New Zealand’s second-largest city and I know things - even once you’re through the door - can be a bit average at some of our smaller hospitals.

Take Dargaville hospital. Last year there was that issue with no doctors on the wards overnight. That had been going on for a few months and the nurses weren’t happy about it.

And poor old Shane Reti was in the firing line. Pouring cold water on rumours that the whole place was going to be shut down.

But, of course, hospitals are only part of the health system.

I heard Bryan Betty, who heads the organisation representing GPs, was saying that he thought Shane Reti had been doing a pretty good job.

Which is another reason why I think Simeon Brown is on a collision course.

Because even though the Prime Minister didn’t like the pace Shane Reti was working at - and even though I don’t think Shane Reti was all that good as a health minister - I don’t think Simeon Brown’s approach is going to do us any favours at all.

Because Mr Get-Stuff-Done is also going to be Mr Get-Peoples-Backs-Up.

And that’s not going to do anyone any favours. It’s not going to you any favours. It's not going to me any favours. And it’s certainly not going to do anyone working in the health system any favours.

But if Simeon Brown proves me wrong - and if he does manage to get people on-side and does manage to make the health system better than it is now - then I’ll be the first to acknowledge it.

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