Christchurch Hospital's specialist trauma service made no difference in first year
'As a result, trauma patients admitted over the weekend were initially managed by the on-call surgical teams before being handed over to the TAS on Monday, potentially leading to delays or inconsistencies in tertiary survey completion.
'This has meant that patients admitted over weekends are initially managed by on-call teams before being transferred to the TAS, introducing delays and potential inconsistencies in care.'
Because of staffing shortages, there were periods when the service was not functioning at all, which probably diluted its impact, the report noted.
'An example of this is when there was a lack of registrar cover, and so the entire service was closed over the Christmas and New Year period in 2023/2024.'
Another limitation was 'inconsistent or missing data', which may have affected the accuracy of outcome measures and 'masked potential areas of improvement', researchers said.
Injury is the leading cause of death in New Zealand for those under the age of 35, and the second most common reason for hospitalisation.
Although most New Zealand hospitals have dedicated trauma assessment teams (including staff from emergency medicine, general surgery, anaesthetics and nursing), only two of the country's seven tertiary hospitals provide ongoing inpatient trauma-specific care through dedicated trauma admission teams.
Health NZ has been approached for comment.
- RNZ
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One mother said her daughter began treatment at 6, and another said their child's unfinished treatment left them with teeth that didn't line up and an incorrect bite. Another said their child had a twisted bottom jaw and incorrect bite, while another said they'd paid $11,000 upfront and had 18 months of treatment and while 'taking a break' the clinic closed. The parents complained of being unable to access files, get information out of the clinic, contact Kruger, and of being out of pocket. At least one said they reported the case to police and another said they were advised by the Dental Council to complain to the Privacy Commissioner to recover patient files and lodge a claim with the Disputes Tribunal to recover their money. RNZ spoke to Kruger in Panama, where his website advertises that he runs several businesses, including consulting for dental and orthodontic practices, and another in tourism in Boquete. He said he was consulting to dentists in the United States and Australia by providing clear aligners and getting 'lots of referrals'. Kruger blamed the closure of the clinic on a Waikato orthodontist he alleged was 'very aggressive against a dentist doing orthodontics because he felt they had to be a specialist which is nonsense'. 'I've seen orthodontists do terrible work.' Asked what happened to the practice's 450 patients, Kruger answered: 'Good question, I dunno. I wasn't allowed to talk to them. If I did, I was going to get a $10,000 fine.' The former True Alignment Orthodontics clinic in Cambridge. Photo / Googlemaps He said at the time he encouraged patients on his website to start a 'class action suit' against the Dental Council. 'They've made this decision with no evidence, no proof whatsoever, and with me providing evidence that I've done no harm... that I'm not actually treating patients in New Zealand. 'I'm working as a consultant to a company in Panama that was at that time providing clear aligners directly to the patient in New Zealand and they were being looked after by dentists who are registered in New Zealand.' He claimed he wasn't treating the patients, only providing aligners to a dentist at True Alignment, and said he didn't own the practice. According to the Companies Office, Kruger was the sole director and shareholder of TSM, the company based in the same building as the practice at 82 Alpha St, when the last annual return was filed in June 2023. He is still listed as the current director and shareholder, however, he said TSM was a management company that managed staff at True Alignment. When asked about the money paid by Ferguson for her son's unfinished treatment, Kruger hung up. Kruger has operated dental practices in Cambridge under different names since 1993 including The Smile Center, Gentle Dental, Gentle Orthodontics and Growth Orthodontics. Gentle Orthodontics and Gentle Dental were put in liquidation in 2010 owing $481,000. Dental Council chief executive Marie MacKay said Kruger was registered with the council but did not hold a current practising certificate and could not legally practise in New Zealand. 'Dr Kruger has previously publicly acknowledged that complaints against him were under investigation, however in accordance with privacy legislation, we are not able to disclose the details of any complaints or investigation.' She said the Dental Council did not hold any authority over a practitioner's ability to register, practise, or provide clinical advice in any other jurisdiction than New Zealand. -RNZ
