At the board meeting of Helse Nord on Tuesday last week, Helse Nord director Marit Lind explained increased concern about top-heavy administration in the regional health company. – Several people have pointed out and asked what is happening with the administrative functions, she said. At the same time, she stated that Helse Sør-East has been in and helped Helse Nord with calculations on the financial and analysis side. – They have compared our and their administrative functions and pointed out that we are high compared to the South-East. Even though Helse Nord has many operating locations and thus several administrative functions, Lind believes that this is an area the health organization must dive into. – Nordland County Council has also asked questions about why we have made a calculation and assessment of this area as part of the comprehensive plan. I now propose that we start with that, said Lind. After a seven-hour board meeting, she decided to withdraw the case. – Was provoked Two days after the board meeting came the press release which says that Helse Nord is hiring a new director. Ola Jøsendal is the new deputy managing director of Helse Nord. He will be an integral part of Helse Nord’s management team and act as permanent deputy to the managing director. Photo: Jorunn Busk, communications department Helse Vest – Ole Jøsendal (63) will be the new deputy managing director of Helse Nord. He will be part of the management group in the northern Norwegian health company, and permanent deputy for the managing director, writes Lind. On Wednesday, it was announced that the new deputy managing director of Helse Nord, Ola Jøsendal, will receive NOK 1.9 million in annual salary. That is NOK 400,000 less than what Marit Lind earns: Now the nurses are raging against the company hiring a new director at the same time as they proposed to cut emergency services. The majority of the board did not want to send the plan out for consultation. The plan proposes cuts in emergency preparedness in Lofoten, Narvik and Helgeland. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news – Yes, I reacted to this and was provoked, says deputy chair Mari-Ann Benonisen in Troms and Finnmark to Sykepleien. She has spoken to colleagues in both Troms and Finnmark. – We are all, to put it mildly, surprised by this appointment, she says to the trade journal. – Remarkable, to put it mildly. In Nordland, too, the reactions are strong, says county manager for the nurses, Gjertrud Krokaa. – This happened two days after the managing director sat in the board meeting and said that it has become clear that Helse Nord has a heavier and larger administration than they have in the South-East. – Here Lind says that this must be assessed, because it is a problem. Then it’s hair-raising that two days later they employ yet another new director, says the nursing manager. The nurses react. – You should have looked at the administration before coming up with proposals for cuts in maternity services and emergency services, says county leader Gjertrud Krokaa of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association. Photo: Øystein Nygård / news Krokaa asks: – Why does Helse Nord need an additional director when you know in advance that you have too many in top management compared to the rest of the country? I find that to be mildly remarkable. Many are in a difficult transition Krokaa believes that Helse Nord should have looked at the size of the administration before coming up with proposals for cuts in maternity services and emergency services. – I have seen people go in torchlight processions and fight for their existence and the health service. With the serious proposals that are coming, one should have stuck a finger in the ground and known that perhaps this was not the time. – But it has been announced that they were to hire a director to relieve Marit Lindsom, is she in the middle of this heavy restructuring work? – There are many people who are in a difficult adjustment process, and there are many who have many tasks and many responsibilities. When Kjerkol gave the annual hospital speech on Tuesday, she promised additional grants to Helse Nord as a consequence of her protecting emergency and maternity services in Lofoten and Narvik. – Today we are announcing significant changes in the funding model – and will ask Helse Nord to make further calculations linked to the offers in Narvik and Lofoten, in order to be able to return to this already in the revised national budget. This means that the emergency services in Narvik and Lofoten are not weakened. – The assignment was that Helse Nord must save money. Do you reward poor financial management here? – No, I don’t want to say that. Helse Nord has done its job. They were to give their recommendation, and then this was to be considered politically. But now politics came in a little earlier. I am happy that we can now start the collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces. More directors than intensive care places Recently, MN24, which is a website with news from central Norway, wrote that there are now more health directors than intensive care places in Norway. An investigation they have carried out shows that just before Christmas in 2023, there were 333 people with the title of director in ministries, directorates, supervision and various national and regional health undertakings. In Helse Nord there were 22 directors. The number of directors has increased in recent years, while the number of intensive care places has remained stagnant and is stated to be 278 places, according to the website. – This shows that it is time to look at how we organize the health services and use taxpayers’ money, says Krokaa. – Don’t you understand that the managing director of Helse Nord needs someone who can be close and step into her role? – Yes, I understand that she feels pressured. But it’s not like she’s completely alone. You have a staff, between 70 and 80 employees in Helse Nord, and you have quite a few directors over time. Helse Nord is to cut a director position HR director Anita Mentzoni-Einarsen informs news that the appointment of a deputy managing director will not increase the number of directors in Helse Nord. – Helse Nord is currently carrying out an internal process where the administration in the regional health undertaking is reviewed, says HR manager Anita Mentzoni-Einarsen to Helse Nord. Photo: Bente H. Johansen The reason is that Helse Nord is going to remove one of the existing director positions. – The position as director of staff will be phased out when the deputy managing director is in place. Mentzoni-Einarsen states that the position has been created to assist the managing director in the day-to-day operational management of the regional health undertaking. – Furthermore, the role will act as a driving force in the development of the regional health undertaking both on a regional and national scale.
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– Remarkable – news Nordland
