Staffing Shortages Putting Patient Safety At Risk At Nelson Hospital

Nelson Hospital is operating with no medical registrar today as ongoing staffing shortages put patients and clinicians at risk, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says.

An email sent to clinicians earlier today (February 28) advised between 1600 and 2200 the hospital will have no medical registrar. As a result, the hospital’s rapid response team - who handle acute deterioration of patients - will be supported by a newly graduated doctor, no ward consultations will be possible and there are likely be flow-on delays to the functioning of the emergency department.

"Compounding the situation further is that the emergency department was also short staffed with no second senior medical officer on duty between 2pm and 4pm," ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says.

"This is due to the hospital’s refusal to employ enough staff to cover absences."

Nelson’s emergency department is staffed to see 70 to 80 patients a day, but they regularly see more than 100 a day.

Dalton says staffing issues at Nelson Hospital have been an issue for years and have been left unaddressed by DHB hospital management and now Te Whatu Ora.

"We have advocated for years to get staffing to safe levels, yet the people of Nelson still have an under-staffed hospital," she says.

"On January 30 we held a crisis meeting with the regional Deputy Chief Executive Martin Keogh and still nothing has been done.

Our President, Dr Katie Ben, has also raised the matter directly with Minister of Health Simeon Brown. She says staffing shortages have become "business as usual".

"Local managers, regional managers and central government are compromising patient care through continued inaction to resolve the healthcare worker shortages. It is unfair, unsafe and unacceptable."

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