Government Must Save Tōtara Hospice: NZNO
Totara Hospice provides end-of-life care at no direct cost to patients from a diverse and growing community of around 520,000 South Aucklanders and is the subject of a new documentary series called Hospice Heroes.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) delegate and hospice nurse Ed Boswell-Correa said staff were yesterday told the hospice had to reduce the number of people they actively care for in a month from 420 to 320 because of a lack of Government funding.
"This decision is devastating for the local community. It will mean only the sickest people will be able to access our services.
"It will force elderly people to remain in aged care facilities when they need specialist palliative care. Other people will be forced to go to Middlemore Hospital for care or worse still, not receive the care they need at all.
"These people deserve the dignity they are provided by hospice when they are dying."
Ed Boswell-Correa says yesterday's "bombshell announcement" follows a hiring freeze Totara was forced to put in place last month.
"Fewer nurses and health care assistants mean less care for our patients. We want to be able to provide our patients and their whānau with the health care they need at this traumatic time in their lives," he says.
Sadly, Totara Hospice isn't alone. NZNO is aware of at least four other hospices having to reduce their services. The Coalition Government must provide Te Whatu Ora with the funding it needs to save these services now.
A report in March found hospices provide taxpayers with at least $1.59 in health benefits for every dollar of government funding.
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