Latest news with #MartinKeogh
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Nelson Hospital review dismissed as a 'plan to make a plan'
The Nelson Hospital redevelopment has been on the table for a number of years, due to increasing demands from a growing population. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Persistent delays in recruiting medical staff for Nelson Hospital has been compounded by ageing infrastructure and increasing demand for services, a review of the hospital has found. The review - released on Wednesday - comes after senior doctors publicly raised their longstanding concerns over staffing and patient safety which had led to waitlists blowing out and, in some cases, people waiting months for treatment at the hospital. Health New Zealand flew senior clinicians to Nelson in April to look further into the issues that had been raised. The report has been released publicly this afternoon and its findings have been accepted. Health New Zealand national chief medical officer Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard said a plan would be put in place to address clinical issues, access to treatment, workforce vacancies and infrastructure constraints. It would be overseen by Health New Zealand Te Waipounamu deputy chief executive Martin Keogh. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the review failed to hold Health NZ to account, months after issues were raised and was little more than a "plan to make a plan". "The review lacks timeframes, holds no leaders to account for these failures. Just last month Nelson Hospital was again in the news for booking "ghost clinics" in what appears to be an attempt to game the system in regard to first specialists' appointments numbers." There was a "worrying trend of poor management and poor leadership at Nelson Hospital which the review fails to address" and it was a wasted opportunity to make positive change, Dalton said. The association was disappointed there had been little engagement with hospital staff and no consultation on the review's recommendations and findings. The hospital, like many others around the country, simply needed more doctors, Dalton said. "Short staffing and increased acute patient demand, coupled with a lack of accountability from our health leaders that allow hospitals to be so poorly staffed has bred a culture of getting by instead of getting ahead," she said. Stokes-Lampard said the proposed action plan would examine high-risk specialties including vascular and obstetrics/gynaecology, improve access to first specialist appointments, reduce wait times for surgery and emergency department care, develop a plan for implementing a sustainable medical workforce and address long term vacancies and infrastructure constraints. She said, alongside the action plan, planning was underway for a temporary inpatient ward to be built within the next 12 months, ahead of a purpose-built 128-bed inpatient unit by 2029 . There were also plans to install a radiation therapy machine at Nelson Hospital by 2029, so patients would no longer have to travel outside the region for radiation treatment. Several other recent initiatives were cited as having improved outcomes for patients and staff, including the recently opened ophthalmology outpatient facility, paediatric outpatient facility and dialysis building. The refurbishment of the hospital's acute mental health facility Wahi Oranga was nearing completion, and the expansion of the emergency department was on track for 2026. Staff and unions would be kept informed as the report's recommendations were implemented, Stokes-Lampard said. While the review was focused on Nelson Hospital, its lessons would also inform wider improvements across New Zealand's healthcare system, she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
12-06-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
‘Long overdue' unpaid holiday pay processed
A nine-year wait for more than $40 million in unpaid holiday pay for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand southern district staff is over. Yesterday, about $41 million in Holidays Act remediation payments were processed for 5900 current southern district staff. HNZ Te Waipounamu regional deputy chief executive Martin Keogh acknowledged it had been a drawn-out process. Martin Keogh. PHOTO: ODT FILES "We have made significant progress in the remediation project with around two-thirds of our current Health New Zealand employees now having received the money they are owed. "I want to acknowledge the patience of our staff who have been waiting for their payment and also recognise the huge work from our payroll teams, both nationally and in the regions, who have worked tirelessly on this programme." New Zealand Nurses' Organisation (NZNO) president Anne Daniels was pleased the wait was over. "NZNO acknowledges the Holidays Act remediation payment to its Te Whatu Ora southern members, but it has been long overdue. "These are payments owed to nurses since 2016. "Payments have been budgeted for by the government and there is a payment schedule in place." The issue has become protracted — at least seven other health districts (Tairāwhiti, Waikato, Canterbury/West Coast, Whanganui, Mid Central, Bay of Plenty and Lakes) are yet to be sorted. The payment meant over 75% of payrolls nationally had been rectified, Mr Keogh said. Anne Daniels. PHOTO: ODT FILES "This means those payrolls are now compliant with the Act and staff are being paid correctly for their holidays in a nationally consistent way. "Nationally we have about 90,000 current employees plus 130,000 former employees covered by the Holidays Act remediation project, for the period from May 1, 2010, to the present day." Southern district is the s 17th payroll nationally to have Holidays Act remediation payments processed to current staff, with Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Taranaki, Wairarapa, Nelson Marlborough, Hutt Valley, Capital Coast and four former shared services completed, and a partial payment made in Bay of Plenty, Te Tai Tokerau, Hawke's Bay and South Canterbury. The payment to southern district staff takes the total amount paid so far nationally to over $491.1m across 65,562 current employees, Ms Daniels said. "Nurses have been frustrated by the years-long delays in getting paid what they are owed. "Paying staff correctly for the work they perform is a minimum expectation of any employer. "NZNO continues to work on issues with Te Whatu Ora such as how to ensure members who work in multiple roles receive their correct entitlement."
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Hospital worker assaulted on way to work in Christchurch
The woman was walking to work at Christchurch Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Police are investigating an assault on a hospital worker in Christchurch who was on her way to work. Senior Sergeant Paul Robertson said two people on an electric scooter hit the woman in the back on Hagley Avenue at 8.20pm on Monday. Health NZ regional deputy chief executive for the South Island Martin Keogh said the assault was "very disturbing". It comes a fortnight after a student midwife was attacked on the way to their car after leaving work at Christchurch Hospital's birthing unit at night. Keogh said the hospital had increased security patrols. "We are working with police, our council colleagues, to try and think about and put as many strategies in place to try protect our people," he said. There was a shortage of car parking in the area and people driving to work had to park a distance away from the hospital at times, he said. The hospital had a free shuttle service from 9pm to 1am to take people to and from their cars. Keogh said the hospital parking rate of $25 an hour was cheaper than alternatives in the area. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Police investigating report of assault on hospital worker
health crime 24 minutes ago Police are investigating a report of a Christchurch Hospital worker being assaulted on Monday night - the second assault on a hospital worker in the space of a week. Health NZ regional deputy chief executive for the South Island, Martin Keogh, spoke with Charlotte Cook.
