Working at Waikato District Health Board

The Waikato District Health Board (DHB) is responsible for planning, funding and providing quality health and disability support services for the 360,270 people living within its boundaries. It achieves this through its funder and provider arms. Planning and Funding works with providers to achieve the best possible health and independence for people throughout Waikato by analysing health needs, and ensuring the DHB prioritises and meets these needs through consultation and planning.

About the Waikato Waikato Migrant Resource Centre Interviews with staff from overseas

Health Waikato provides a comprehensive range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services and provides tertiary and trauma co-ordination services to the central North Island regional population of 826,080.

Waikato DHB is undertaking a significant Service and Campus Redevelopment. This involves changing how we deliver health services and remodelling our facilities accordingly. This is a massive $252 million undertaking. Implementation started in 2004 and should be complete in 2013. The changes will improve the patients' journey through our services. 

The Waikato DHB employs more than 5800 employees across a variety of clinical and non-clinical disciplines.

Working environment

There is enormous diversity within the DHB that offer challenges, variety and an exciting range of experiences.

Whether a member of a large multidisciplinary team in emergency department, working with a specialised hand therapy team or the sole specialist in your area, you will rarely be bored. 

Our hospitals vary from newly refurbished, in the process of refurbishment or waiting for refurbishment. Waikato Hospital in Hamilton offers the latest equipment and technology, and rural hospitals are well equipped for their community’s individual needs.

The geographical spread also means there may be the need for you to travel with your work, including helicopter, ambulance, cars, and mobile clinics.

Staff parking is available at most sites. New staff will receive more information in their recruitment pack about parking at the site, office or hospital where they will be working.

Terms and conditions of employment

The Employment Relations Act 2000 governs employment terms and conditions in New Zealand.

This sets out minimum standards for all employers to adhere to. For more information go to the Department of Labour Employment Relations Service website.

Within the public health sector most positions are covered by a Collective Agreement (CA), which have many different forms. These include:

• Single Employer and Union Collective Agreement (CA)
• Multi Employer Collective Agreements (MECAs). 
• Multi Employer and Union Collective Agreements
• Single Employer and Multi Union Collective Agreements
  

MECAs are by far the most common type of employment agreement within the Public Health Sector. They often include some or all of the 21 DHBs in New Zealand. 

These provide common terms and conditions across the health sector for things such as:

• allowances
• annual, sick and other types of Leave
• clinical and non clinical time
• professional development
• salaries
• working hours.
  

Union membership in New Zealand is voluntary. However, certain rules exist pertaining to employment coverage under collective agreements that have been negotiated with unions. 

Our facilities

Health Waikato delivers its comprehensive range of health services via the following facilities:

Waikato Hospital Waikato Hospital with 600 beds and 2500 employees, is the base hospital located in Hamilton. It is a specialised teaching hospital with links to Auckland University and has all diagnostic and treatment facilities on one campus. Specialist primary, secondary and tertiary services include: anaesthesiology, cardiac surgery, cardiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, general surgery, gynaecology, haematology, intensive care, maxillofacial, medicine, neonatal intensive care, neurosurgery, obstetrics, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology, paediatric surgery, paediatrics, plastic surgery, renal, respiratory, urology, radiology and vascular surgery. Access to specialist tertiary health services for the Waikato DHB’s population is easy due to Waikato Hospital's central location within the region, with excellent road and air ambulance support. Read more about the history of Waikato Hospital

Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre The purpose-built Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre on Hamilton’s campus has 100 beds and 560 employees. It is an acute mental health facility. The Regional Forensic Service also encompasses Lakes, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty DHBs. Thames Hospital Thames Hospital is located in the Thames township, on the Coromandel Peninsula. It has 56 inpatient beds and consultant services in the emergency department, general medicine, general surgery, assessment and rehabilitation and primary birthing. Waikato DHB recently completed a $16 million redevelopment of Thames Hospital. New inpatient and outpatient facilities provide huge improvements for both staff and patients. In October 2008, the Waikato DHB board approved the building of a new primary birthing facility in Thames, to be located on Mary Street opposite the Thames Clinical Centre. Primary birthing facilities (where only midwifery is available) are presently inside Thames Hospital and a survey of mothers showed that it is some barrier to birthing at Thames. The facility will open mid 2009. Taumarunui Hospital Taumarunui Hospital is in the heart of the King Country and has 22 beds and 77 employees. Services include general medicine, surgical, paediatrics, maternity, high dependency unit and community health.

Tokoroa Hospital Tokoroa Hospital is in the South Waikato region with 21 beds and 94 employees. Services offered include inpatient, emergency and outpatient department, maternity, day surgery, 24-hour laboratory and radiology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, mental health, adult day care, social work and community health. Te Kuiti Hospital Te Kuiti Hospital in the King Country has 21 beds and 60 employees. Services include inpatients, acute medical, surgical, rehabilitation, palliative care and emergency services. Allied health and clinical support services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dieticians, social workers and 24-hour laboratory and radiology and community services.  Rhoda Read Continuing Care and Maternity Facility Rhoda Read is located in Morrinsville and has 30 beds and 48 employees. It has a home-away-from-home for patients/residents who require long term care, palliative care, respite care or short-term convalescent care and rehabilitation. Rhoda Read also has a maternity unit on site. Matariki Matariki is located in Te Awamutu south of Hamilton and has 49 beds and 61 employees. The Continuing Care Unit services offered are for long stay, respite and palliative care, acute GP beds, step down convalescent care and home hospital. Matariki also has a maternity unit on site.  Community Bases There are 21 community bases within Waikato DHB.

Teaching, training and research

The Waikato Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre is a joint venture between the Waikato DHB and the University of Auckland, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. It is one of the leading centres in New Zealand. Hands-on training takes place for both undergraduate and post-graduate students. The centre is available for all groups including nursing, medical, surgical, allied health, general practice, paramedical and other community groups. Training and courses on offer range through to specific in-house workshops through to customised training programmes; multi-disciplinary and inter-departmental skills based workshops by use of regular simulated scenarios that improve team work, leadership and decision making. The Bryant Education Centre is a comprehensive base for training activities with a modern auditorium and full audio-visual and tele-conferencing facilities. Active research is in progress in collaboration with excellent facilities at the local Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre, the University of Waikato and the Institute of Rural Health. Waikato DHB's clinical professor of nursing heads the Nursing Research and Development Unit, established in collaboration with Victoria University's Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery in Wellington. The unit plays an important role in leading nursing research, practice development and the implementation of evidence based nursing practice. The Waikato DHB also has strong relationships with tertiary providers around New Zealand. These relationships enable undergraduate students to complete clinical placements within our facilities, and in many cases going on to become graduates taking positions within our organisation.

Read more about our education, training and research facilities

Education and professional development

Our staff have the opportunity to participate in educational and professional development.

This includes access to: up to the minute learning and development programmes professional support and innovative ways of working together through regional networks such as the Midland Regional Mental Health and Addiction Network extensive professional education and support programmes excellent research facilities including access to libraries and online databases support to participate in personal health and wellbeing activities such as sports teams and wellness programmes.

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