Dunedin Hospital radiologists were called ''elephantine'' and accused of ''inertia'' in an extraordinary parting shot from their boss at a meeting in Dunedin yesterday.
Dr Christine Vetter, the medical director of Southern District Health Board radiology, was presenting to the health board commissioner team about a project to speed up the region's radiology service by taking out bottlenecks.
Dr Vetter returns to the United States next month after 16 months at the SDHB.
Interim chief executive Chris Fleming asked if she foresaw problems with the project's implementation after her return to ''Trump-land''.
Responding, Dr Vetter said there was a ''definite risk''.
Dr Vetter said the board's radiologists were the ''the most elephantine'' she had worked alongside.
The group displayed ''inertia'', and was ''not particularly collegiate''.
Dr Vetter feared there was no-one in the radiology department who could lead the project, because they were ''simply not interested''.
She was talking to a new staff member about the possibility of them taking a role.
''That's probably a lot more than you wanted to hear,'' she said.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell, when contacted for comment, said it was unusual for a senior manager to publicly criticise
staff.
''What it does indicate is a serious issue in the relationship between her leadership style and the rest of the radiologists.
''Morale amongst the radiologists is very low.
''It's a very corrosive environment,'' Mr Powell said.
In July, the Otago Daily Times reported on tensions in Dunedin Hospital radiology.
At that time, Mr Powell said a ''petty and pious'' attitude from senior management had contributed to the resignations of several radiologists.
In a press release after the meeting, the SDHB said it held forums in order to listen to feedback from primary care providers and others about how to improve radiology throughout Otago and Southland.
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Comments
So union leader Mr Powell thinks it is unreasonable for management to criticise workers. It seems quite obvious to outside observers that part of SDHB problems are workers who refuse to change work practices simply because something has always been done that way. Dr Vetter's new ideas may have been right or wrong, but unless unions and workers acknowledge that the old way is not the only way then real progress will never occur.
That's not to say SDHB haven't made some howlers of mistakes, (over priced frozen meals comes to mind) but that is no reason to resist all change.