Summary of Mee�ng Minutes SSD Panel recorded 13/11/2021
Date:
Saturday 13 November 2021
Venue:
Teams Meeting
Time:
11.45am – 12.30pm
Attendees:
Significant Service Disruption Panel Members
Ministry of Health - Director, National Contracts, CVIP
Ministry of Health - Delivery Lead, Vaccine Order, CVIP
Secretariat – Ministry of Health
Summary of Minutes
It is noted that Ministry of Health team are reviewing approx. 50 other applications received. They wil be grouped
and triaged. Any needing additional information wil be returned. The Panel wil meet tomorrow to discuss these
This urgent Panel meeting focusses on one particular application from NZ Health Group/Geneva Healthcare
Limited/Solora Limited. 952 workers are impacted by the Order.
The application outlines the roles that are impacted by the Order, and the impact that a declined SSD exemption
application would have on the organization’s ability to provide essential home and community support services to
dependent and vulnerable clients/patients nationwide.
The application notes that the organization fully intends to comply with the requirements of the Vaccination Order
and outlines the steps that have been taken towards compliance, including providing education for staff to address
concerns and support them to obtaining their vaccinations, and, where appropriate, emphasizing the stand down
date as per the Order. Despite these efforts, a portion of the organization’s essential workers remain unvaccinated
and therefore an exemption is required as an interim measure to al ow the organization time to recruit ful y
vaccinated staff.
The application also outlines contingency planning that the organization has completed, including engaging with
DHB’s around impacted clients/patients and completing risk assessment to reprioritize clients/patients so that the
most vulnerable receive care first. The organization has also reallocated staff where possible, offered additional
hours to staff in impacted regions, and continues to work on recruitment.
The Panel discussed the application particulars and considered options to progress, final recommendations for the
Minister were provided as follows;
Final recommendations for drafting
•
Further details are required for the application regarding each worker sought to be covered by the
under the Official Information Act 1982
exemption (name, role, location, reason for not being vaccinated) and an ethnicity breakdown for
impacted roles and clients.
•
Recommend 7-day extension to allow time to obtain outstanding information. If not granted, from
Tuesday they wil need to stand their staff down.
Additional Note
•
further discussion to clarify intent of 7 day extension or exemption. Panel agreed “Recommended that
you grant a temporary seven-day exemption, until 11:59pm on 22 November 2021, to enable NZ Health
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Group to provide sufficient additional information for the Panel to understand the significant service risk
for each named individual. This wil al ow the named workers to continue working for seven days while the
updated exemption request is being prepared and considered”
Item
Action
AP001
Can we get clarity of when AstraZeneca is on line.
AP002
Ashley to formal y advise panel employers of their participation in this process.
AP003
Panel members to advise their employers of their involvement in this process.
AP004
Draft a decision making matrix to support the panel.
1982
Act
Information
Official
the
under
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