In an anonymous email, a staff member at Southland Hospital outlines a litany of issues.
In the email they claim the situation is so bad theatre shutdowns have become a daily or weekly occurrence and theatre capacity has dropped at times to half of what it was.
The staff member claimed nurses in operating theatres at Invercargill had quit over the past year due to ‘‘unpopular management decisions to force an unpopular night roster’’.
‘‘This was done knowing that they did not have the staff to fill a night roster yet.
‘‘The few remaining theatre staff with any experience have burnt out and management are rapidly trying to replace them with junior and graduate nurses with no supervision.’’
The amalgamation in Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) had also been problematic, as many concerned staff no longer knew whom turn to when making a complaint, the staff member said
HNZ Southern acting group director of operations Simon Donlevy acknowledged the nursing roster for operating theatres was not fully staffed and HNZ was taking concerns seriously.
He said the roster staff were complaining about was introduced in September in response to previous staff feedback.
HNZ was actively recruiting to try to resolve the staffing shortfall for operating theatres as soon as possible, while also working to upskill other staff.
‘‘However, this process does take time’’.
‘‘We take the concerns of our staff seriously and have engaged with the nursing team and the union through this process.
‘‘We have recently agreed to some interim roster changes to maximise our theatre coverage while recruitment continues.’’
Southland Hospital had a well-established management team supported by the senior leaders at the hospital, he said.
‘‘We appreciate and value hearing from our staff, who are able to raise their concerns directly with their manager or any of the senior leaders at the hospital.’’
The email also says after two senior urologists left, prostate and bladder surgery coverage was lost for Southland and Queenstown.
‘‘Warnings were raised over the last few years and have been ignored by senior management, who still refuse to recognise the problem and there is no accountability.
‘‘Other services are concerned about their continued viability and safety.’’
Mr Donlevy said the Southern Hospital was sad to lose two highly qualified urology clinicians in a relatively short time.
‘‘In line with the usual recruitment cycles, we have lost some experienced nursing staff, who are invaluable.’’
While the recruitment process was ongoing, HNZ was using locums, part-time and casual staff, and making changes to roster patterns to support its services.
Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds said she had been kept informed of the issues associated with the hospital.
‘‘I’m aware of the staffing pressures affecting some theatre services at Southern Hospital in Invercargill.
‘‘Like many parts of the health system, the Southern district continues to manage workforce shortages that have developed over a number of years.’’
She said she had sought further information from HNZ about the situation and the steps being taken locally to maintain services and support staff.
