Dunedin Hospital

Christchurch Hospital's already stretched intensive-care unit would struggle to cope with extra patients if all neurosurgery went to Canterbury, clinical leader of Dunedin Hospital's intensive-care unit Mike Hunter says.

A call for greater involvement by Dunedin Hospital emergency department leadership in exploring all possible solutions to long stays for patients has been made by Southern District Health Board chief executive Brian Rousseau.

Overall compliance with hand-hygiene practices in eight areas of Dunedin Hospital improved by about 20% over five months, special audits show.

Dunedin Hospital's new ground-floor cafe caused a little confusion for mail deliverers because of its name - Dispensary.

Dunedin Hospital's stretched emergency department needs an urgent multimillion-dollar makeover and more staff, department clinical leader Dr John Chambers says.

Calls for greater top-level emphasis on "lean thinking" in Dunedin Hospital were made at yesterday's Southern District Health Board meeting, but members were told change would cost money and could take up to five years.

More detail about progress on the introduction of "lean thinking" at Dunedin Hospital was called for by two hospitals' advisory committee members this week.

Dunedin hospital leaders say patients can be confident their doctors have up-to-date practising certificates.

Recent industrial action by medical radiographers has helped to push waiting times for urgent CT scans in Otago out to 10 weeks.

About 5000 towels a year are disappearing from Dunedin and Wakari Hospitals, contributing to replacement linen costs of about $60,000 a year.