A patient at Dunedin Hospital waiting more than six months for a diagnosis of stage four cancer came as wait times for specialists were 14 times longer than recommended.
There were significant delays in the diagnosis of the patient’s colorectal cancer and systemic issues contributed to this, Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell said in her report released yesterday.
People had a right to services provided with reasonable care and skill, but the patient did not receive timely and appropriate care, she said.
Health New Zealand (HNZ) apologised to the patient and their family for the distress caused.
Changes had since been made.
Ms McDowell highlighted a significant mismatch between the colorectal clinic’s capacity and demand.
It was highly concerning to learn patients considered semi-urgent were waiting up to 14 times longer to be seen by the general surgical service for a first specialist assessment than the recommended six weeks set by the Ministry of Health, she said.
There had since been some improvement.
HNZ Southern chief medical officer Dr David Gow acknowledged waiting times for first specialist assessment were outside expectations.
"Our teams are working collectively to address these pressures and improve access to care," Dr Gow said.
HNZ accepted the commissioner’s findings about the patient and "we regret that in this instance we did not meet the standards expected by our communities", Dr Gow said.
Ms McDowell’s report detailed that the patient went to his GP on October 2, 2023, after occasional rectal bleeding.
HNZ’s gastroenterology outpatient service at Dunedin Hospital declined a referral because it considered this to be "outlet bleeding", which could often settle spontaneously.
He went back to his GP on December 14 that year and the general surgical service accepted a referral — but there was then a mix-up.
HNZ’s adverse event report said the first specialist assessment should have happened by March 11, 2024, but an administrator incorrectly set the "treat-by date" as June 16.
The patient underwent a colonoscopy on July 4, 2024 and his prognosis was described as poor that month.
He told the commissioner the diagnosis had placed a great strain on him and his family, but he had accepted his condition and hoped such a situation could be prevented for other people.
Patient advocate Melissa Vining said Ms McDowell’s report made for devastating reading.
"How many more southerners must be given a death sentence before this system is properly resourced and managed?
"This is yet another patient and their family facing a terminal diagnosis because of clinically unsafe delays after being declined care."
Mrs Vining said colorectal cancer was curable if caught early.
"All the backwards and forwards is real days that can be the difference of life and death for the patient," she said.
Dr Gow said HNZ was committed to continuous improvement.
"In response to the commissioner’s recommendations, as well as findings from our own internal review, we have implemented a number of improvements to strengthen our systems and reduce the likelihood of similar issues occurring in the future.
"These improvements include the introduction of dedicated staff to provide additional surgical colorectal clinics, ensuring patients with higher-priority needs can be seen more quickly."
