Latest news with #HealthNewZealandTeWhatuOra
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
GP honoured, warns of health funding
A nationally honoured Southland GP is concerned about government funding focus on virtual and after-hours treatment as opposed to the face-to-face, personalised care her practice can offer. Dr Glenys Weir, who was awarded a King's Service Medal on Monday, said she was worried about the government prioritising its funding to after-hours and telehealth care over much needed support and training of GPs. Last month, in a pre-budget announcement, Minister of Health Simeon Brown committed $164 million in funding to urgent and after-hours healthcare in the regions. The following week, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora confirmed its plans for a new 24-7 virtual telehealth service, set to go live as early as this month. "All the money's gone to after-hours [and] telehealth," Dr Weir said. "It's not a solution. "We knew 10, 15 years ago that we were going to have this crisis in general practice, because it was a decade of not training enough." She said general practice had changed incredibly and she and her colleagues at Gore Medical Centre were now seeing about 2000 patients per full-time GP. These days, she said you would not see the same GP as much as you would in the past and therefore would not get the same continuity of care. Only recently, she had seen a patient presenting with a foot problem who actually had an underlying heart issue as well as a range of other issues contributing to poor health. She said she was able to give him an ECG, prescribe medications and address his other health concerns. "If it was telehealth, they'd only be dealing with the foot," she said. Dr Weir joined the medical centre in 1981 and was the first female doctor in the Gore District. She said she was now treating the fifth generation of some families. Knowing a patient well means as a practitioner can sense changes and pick up on underlying issues, she said. "We're well-trained and just pick up so much more," she said. She said to accommodate the increased workload, GPs were having to work harder, doing the more serious tasks while easier ones were being delegated to nurses, who had really stepped up. The doctor received her royal honour this week for her services to health, and had volunteered her service to rural health days, offering free consultations for health screening and promotion. She also had a little clinic in the Plunket rooms out in Waikaka, where she would see a lot of young mothers and do immunisations. Now, she said rural patients were more inclined to travel into town to visit the centre, as they were coming and going more frequently. Despite the increased workload, she was still encouraged by the calibre of GPs she saw coming through, particularly the group of young people that were committed locally. Still working part-time at the centre, she said due to the quality of these young doctors, she felt comfortable retiring probably by the end of the year. She accepted the award on behalf of her team, those who had come before her and those who were the future of the practice, because she could not have done this alone, she said. "You just can't carry it on your own."
Otago Daily Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Further cuts slammed
Cutting rehabilitation beds in the new Dunedin hospital inpatient building by more than half could have drastic consequences for the ageing population, the leader of the nurses' union says. After months of speculation, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) yesterday released the breakdown in bed numbers upon opening of the project compared with the original detailed business case. It included previously flagged cuts to ICU and mental health for older people, and also revealed the number of rehabilitation beds have been cut from 40 to 16. The cuts have been slammed by New Zealand Nurses' Organisation president Anne Daniels, who said it had been part of a broader pattern of "drip-feeding" bad news throughout. "I know for a fact that those rehab beds are absolutely crucial because as we grow older, we're more likely to have events or have strokes. "If those beds are not there, the people that are required to provide that rehab will not be hired and the service will not be able to be delivered to meet the needs of the people." In January, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the new Dunedin hospital would have fewer beds compared with the existing hospital and the previously approved business case. But he did not provide a detailed breakdown of where the cuts were going to occur. However, there were two more surgical beds (237) than proposed in the detailed business case, with further capacity for an additional 26 beds. In total, there will be 371 beds upon opening compared with 420 beds in the business case — although many departments have capacity to expand over time, with the total capacity of 424 beds. Most of the cuts have been justified by HNZ discovering a new way of modelling healthcare late last year, which has now been explained in the document. "Health New Zealand now uses a consistent nationwide approach to demand and capacity modelling for hospital and specialty services, moving from 20 different approaches to planning under the former District Health Boards to one approach," the document says. "Previously this resulted in significant national variation across health facility planning and design including ICU and other bed numbers. "Applying the new modelling to [the new hospital] has resulted in about the same number of beds but a change in the mix of bed types required, for example decreased ICU beds and increased medical surgical beds." Ms Daniels said her organisation could not believe the model could change so quickly. "Over many years, hundreds of clinical staff have been involved in the development of the design [of the new Dunedin hospital]. "Over a very short period of six months, suddenly that model has changed "There has been no evidence provided to the public, and dare I say, the council, that I know of, that actually justifies those changes." Clinical Transformation Group chairwoman Dr Sheila Barnett said the design of the hospital had been informed by updated and standardised bed modelling for regional hospitals. The group had not been informed of the new modelling until HNZ presented them with it late last year. This was during a period when the government was deliberating over whether to press ahead with a scaled-back version of the hospital at the former Cadbury's site, or retrofit the existing hospital. "We are comfortable with the build going forward because all floor area of the hospital will be built," Dr Barnett said. "We know that, acknowledging the inherent uncertainties with any modelling, the NDH can accommodate both the old modelling and the new. "At this stage, the areas indicated for fit-out on opening align with the new modelling and align with the budget. As time goes on, including before opening, and the need becomes clearer, more areas can be fitted out. "This will need additional resource." The group had many discussions about the final design. "I think if we didn't have that future fit-out space, then we would be less comfortable." Former head of the emergency department Dr John Chambers said he was cynical about the approach taken. "I have never heard of a 'new national point of care modelling' process or formula. "So there ... [seems to be] a bit of randomness and perhaps a heavy reliance on more use of day beds than even the new modelling proposes." Clinical laboratory scientist Terry Taylor said there was still no mention of a pathology building in the plans. "Like I have constantly said, this will be the first new hospital in the Western world without an on-site [on-precinct] pathology laboratory intertwined into the hospital infrastructure. "I guess maybe the minister for health is hoping that AI and digital advances by 2029 will alleviate the need for blood and tissue analysis for patient 24 hours/seven days a week care."
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Documents reveal extent of problems
Problems with the Southland Hospital's "too small" emergency department are outlined in information prepared for former Health Minister Shane Reti in December 2024, released to Local Democracy Reporting under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. The three-page document discussed the hospital's struggling emergency department and operating theatres which have been waiting on upgrades since 2021 when funding was allocated. "Southland Hospital is experiencing significant capacity constraints in ED (emergency department)," the report stated. "The ED is too small to allow for the efficient flow of patients, this leads to extended times for patients to be placed in a clinical space to be assessed." A lack of specialised treatment spaces in the department meant it was not complying with relevant standards of "safe, effective and dignified care", the document said. "The ED is not equipped to sustainably and safely treat infectious patients." Meanwhile, demand was only increasing. In 2024, the department was tracking at 2015 patients per bed compared to recommended targets of between 1000-1500. A shortfall in theatres was also hitting the hospital hard, with Southland now home to a "stringent" eligibility criteria and some of the highest thresholds for surgery in the country. When the information was prepared in December, there were 1071 patients waiting more than four months for surgical procedures. High demand for acute and trauma care — especially from Queenstown — was straining resources, it said. Surgeons were not being fully utilised, and a further 90 surgeries could be completed each month if more theatres were created. The initial business case from 2021 estimated a need for two more operating theatres. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) would not give the current budget for upgrades to the hospital, but said $3million had previously been allocated for theatre capacity and $5m for emergency department expansion. The combined $8m was deemed insufficient without significant compromises, the document said. A more accurate figure is expected as part of an updated concept design and business case. But it is anticipated to take a further two years to deliver the upgrades once the case is approved. Issues with sleeping facilities were also noted, as the current arrangement did not satisfy the multi-employer collective agreement. The report said the hospital was built with the expectation the region's population would decrease, but it had done the opposite. It also highlighted pressure resulting from the closure of Invercargill's urgent doctors in March 2024 and a struggle to recruit new GPs. Local Democracy Reporting asked for notes and minutes from a February meeting between Southland District Council and HNZ, but none were taken. A spokesperson for HNZ said the two parties met regularly.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Southland Hospital Struggling With ‘Too Small' ED
Problems with the hospital's "too small" emergency department are outlined in information prepared for former Health Minister Shane Reti in December 2024, released to Local Democracy Reporting under the LGOIMA. The three-page document discussed the hospital's struggling emergency department and operating theatres which have been waiting on upgrades since 2021 when funding was allocated. 'Southland Hospital is experiencing significant capacity constraints in ED (emergency department),' the report stated. 'The ED is too small to allow for the efficient flow of patients, this leads to extended times for patients to be placed in a clinical space to be assessed.' A lack of specialised treatment spaces in the department meant it was not complying with relevant standards of 'safe, effective and dignified care', the document said. 'The ED is not equipped to sustainably and safely treat infectious patients.' Meanwhile, demand was only increasing. In 2024, the department was tracking at 2,015 patients per bed compared to recommended targets of between 1,000 - 1,500 A shortfall in theatres was also hitting the hospital hard, with Southland now home to a 'stringent' eligibility criteria and some of the highest thresholds for surgery in the country. At the time the information was prepared in December, there were 1,071 patients waiting more than four months for surgical procedures. High demand for acute and trauma care — especially from Queenstown — was straining resources, it said. Surgeons were not being fully utilised, and a further 90 surgeries could be completed each month if more theatres were created. The initial business case from 2021 estimated a need for two more operating theatres. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora would not give the current budget for upgrades to the hospital, but said $3 million had previously been allocated for theatre capacity and $5 million for emergency department expansion. The combined $8 million is deemed insufficient without significant compromises, the document said. A more accurate figure is expected as part of an updated concept design and business case, but it is expected to take a further two years to deliver the upgrades once the case is approved. Issues with sleeping facilities were also noted, as the current arrangement did not satisfy the multi-employer collective agreement. The report said the hospital was built with the expectation the region's population would decrease, but it had done the opposite. It also highlighted pressure resulting from the closure of Invercargill's urgent doctors in March 2024 and a struggle to recruit new GPs. Local Democracy Reporting asked for notes and minutes from a February meeting between Southland District Council and Te Whatu Ora, but none were taken. A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora said they understood the two parties met regularly.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Southland Hospital struggling with 'too small' ED
Problems with Southland Hospital's "too small" emergency department are outlined in information prepared for former Health Minister Shane Reti in December 2024, released to Local Democracy Reporting under the LGOIMA. The three-page document discussed the hospital's struggling emergency department and operating theatres which have been waiting on upgrades since 2021 when funding was allocated. 'Southland Hospital is experiencing significant capacity constraints in ED (emergency department),' the report stated. 'The ED is too small to allow for the efficient flow of patients, this leads to extended times for patients to be placed in a clinical space to be assessed.' A lack of specialised treatment spaces in the department meant it was not complying with relevant standards of 'safe, effective and dignified care', the document said. 'The ED is not equipped to sustainably and safely treat infectious patients.' Meanwhile, demand was only increasing. In 2024, the department was tracking at 2015 patients per bed compared to recommended targets of between 1000 - 1500 A shortfall in theatres was also hitting the hospital hard, with Southland now home to a 'stringent' eligibility criteria and some of the highest thresholds for surgery in the country. At the time the information was prepared in December, there were 1071 patients waiting more than four months for surgical procedures. High demand for acute and trauma care — especially from Queenstown — was straining resources, it said. Surgeons were not being fully utilised, and a further 90 surgeries could be completed each month if more theatres were created. The initial business case from 2021 estimated a need for two more operating theatres. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora would not give the current budget for upgrades to the hospital, but said $3 million had previously been allocated for theatre capacity and $5 million for emergency department expansion. The combined $8 million is deemed insufficient without significant compromises, the document said. A more accurate figure is expected as part of an updated concept design and business case, but it is expected to take a further two years to deliver the upgrades once the case is approved. Issues with sleeping facilities were also noted, as the current arrangement did not satisfy the multi-employer collective agreement. The report said the hospital was built with the expectation the region's population would decrease, but it had done the opposite. It also highlighted pressure resulting from the closure of Invercargill's urgent doctors in March 2024 and a struggle to recruit new GPs. Local Democracy Reporting asked for notes and minutes from a February meeting between Southland District Council and Te Whatu Ora, but none were taken. A spokesperson for Te Whatu Ora said they understood the two parties met regularly. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
