Concern changes to health Act will risk public safety

There's concern public safety will be at risk with the Government's review of the Act that regulates health professionals in New Zealand.

Nurses Organisation spokeswoman Susanne Trim says changes to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act will place decisions on the requirements for health practitioners in the hands of politicians and employers.

"The Government is proposing quite wide sweeping changes where there's less regulation, it's a major concern across health practitioner groups and certainly for nurses we see it as detrimental to public safety," she says.

"There is a potential for the focus of the Act to shift away from public protection to less cost and more subject to employer and political agendas."

Ms Trim says nurses say the Act is working well and the review is unnecessary.

She says currently the Act sets in place independent Councils for the sole purpose of protecting the public from poor practice or conduct of health professionals.

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