The private Mercy Hospital in Dunedin is expected to soon begin carrying out 60 elective surgical procedures on behalf of the Otago District Health Board.
Contracting Mercy for some of the more minor procedures was a way of the board achieving its aim of completing an extra 500 elective procedures this financial year, chief operating officer Vivian Blake said.
However, there were difficulties because in the case of the 60 day operations for grommet insertion, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, the same surgeons also worked for the Dunedin Hospital.
Trying to ensure services at Dunedin were not compromised was one of the challenges in developing a longer term relationship with Mercy, she told a health board hospital advisory committee meeting last week.
Dunedin Hospital had a busy August, with a large number of emergency department patients, postponement of some elective surgery and pressure on its intensive care units.
Mrs Blake said there did not appear to be any particular reason for the increased activity.
During later discussion of hospital finances, business analyst Grant Paris said overtime costs in radiology were over budget because of an increase in skiing accidents during the New Zealand Winter Games.
The committee noted that the total hospital overtime hours for August were more than 2500 and there were more than 1000 callback hours.
Mrs Blake said strict criteria had been placed on the approval process for overtime.
It was considered the demand for it should be lessening because the number of vacancies had decreased.
In August, 3069 people were seen at the emergency department, one more than for July and almost 100 higher than for August last year.
Mrs Blake said lack of intensive care unit capacity meant five cardiac operations, two procedures to deal with spine curvature, one general surgery case and one vascular operation had had to be postponed.
The cardiac catheter laboratory was also out of action for about 17 days.
There was also pressure on the new-born intensive care unit, resulting in 10 expectant mothers at risk of premature delivery being transferred to Wellington, Invercargill or Christchurch.
