Health Minister Tony Ryall has today announced the make up of the new Clinical Training Agency Board, a new national body to unify workforce planning in New Zealand.

Mr Ryall says, "The Government wants better and urgent integration of health education and training. There have been multitudes of reports mixed with indecision over the past 10 years, and it is past the time when we need to take a stronger approach to health workforce planning."

"New Zealand has a health workforce crisis with too many clinicians disengaged and leaving the country."

"This new Clinical Training Agency Board will unify workforce planning in New Zealand and ensure coordination of workforce training, planning and funding for our nurses and doctors and other health professionals."

Mr Ryall has previously announced that the Board is being chaired by Professor Des Gorman, the Head of the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland.

Professor Gorman is being joined on the Board by:

• Professor Max Abbott, Clinical Psychologist, Pro Vice-Chancellor (North Shore Campus) and Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the Auckland University of Technology; and Deputy Chair of Waitemata District Health Board.


• Professor Gregor Coster, General Practitioner, Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Auckland, and Chair of Counties Manukau DHB.


• Ms Helen Pocknall, nurse, Director of Nursing at Wairarapa DHB; and Chair of the Central Region Directors of Nursing and Chief Medical Officers group.


• Ms Karen Roach, nurse and midwife; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Northland DHB; Chair of Northern Region CEO Group; and Chair of the 21 DHB Employment Relations Strategy group.


• Professor Don Roberton, Paediatrician; Pro Vice-Chancellor, Division of Health Sciences; and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Otago. He was a member of the Medical Training Board, the Health Workforce Taskforce.


• Dr Andrew Wong, Public Health Medicine specialist; CEO of Ascot Mercy (private) Hospital. He is Managing Director of HealthCare Holdings Limited

Mr Ryall says, "These people are not appointed as sector or professional representatives. They are there because of their abilities to support Professor Gorman and the government in driving change."

"We know that with the workforce crisis we inherited, problems won't be fixed overnight, but we are taking action rather than taking stock."