Wednesday 4 September 2019Media release2 minutes to read

The partial strike by psychologists who are members of the APEX union means group work with patients will cease and no new patients will be accepted

Psychologists who are members of the APEX union plan to carry out a partial strike for 28 days from 8am tomorrow [Tuesday 3 September] until 8am on Tuesday 1 October 2019.  During the period of industrial action psychologists at Canterbury DHB (excluding intern psychologists) will not participate in group work with patients; and they will not accept new patients onto their caseload.  They will however, continue with their other duties.

Canterbury DHB employs 129 psychologists, and around 106 are members of the APEX union. They work in services such as specialist mental health services, diabetes, child health, respiratory and cardiology services, oncology [Cancer care], nephrology [dialysis and kidney transplants], older persons’ health and rehabilitation and are based at Christchurch Hospital, Burwood Hospital, Hillmorton Campus, The Princess Margaret Hospital and in a range of community settings.

Canterbury DHB Director of Allied Health, Jacqui Lunday Johnstone, said anyone who has a pre-booked group appointment with a DHB psychologist that has had to be postponed and rescheduled due to the strike, will be contacted by phone, then receive a follow up letter detailing their rescheduled appointment.

We expect more than 300 people will be affected by having either their group or individual appointment rescheduled until after the strike.

As part of our contingency plans we will be utilising other appropriately trained and experienced clinicians to run some group sessions and to see some new patients as part of their caseload.

“We respect the right of our staff to strike and I apologise in advance for the inconvenience caused by these changes to our usual service,” Jacqui Lunday Johnstone said.  

ENDS

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