Patient 'disgusted' by last-minute change to scheduled surgery

Hospital Main Entrance

A patient has labelled health care in Gisborne as “disgusting” after going to Gisborne Hospital for surgery, only  to be told it had been cancelled.

Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti says staff shortages are the reason why many Gisborne patients are waiting for urgent surgery, but it is a problem shared across New Zealand.

Interim lead for hospital and specialist services Lynsey Bartlett says a high number of patients are waiting for surgery, and another contributing factor is Cyclone Gabrielle.

There were staff shortages across “nearly all workforces”.

In April Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti said the hospital was short of 41 nurses and 28 doctors, while the New Zealand Nurses Organisation said their members were exhausted.

The patient said she arrived at hospital at 7.30am and went through all her “pre op stuff”, including meeting her anaesthetist, “only to be told an hour after arriving that my surgery would be cancelled, along with three others, due to staffing issues.”

Her laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallblader removal) might be minor to some, but “I assure you, it has a massive impact on me”.

She was anticipating going home later the same day after her operation.

“It takes a massive mental toll preparing yourself for surgery, and to be told at the very last minute that it would not go ahead was devastating.”

Mrs Bartlett said Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti was delivering substantial planned care that could be managed as day surgery, “therefore minimising the impact on the inpatient areas which are really feeling the pressure”.

Orthopaedics and longer-stay general surgery conditions were affected more than the other specialties due to the infection control processes required to ensure post-operative safety for the patients.

Mrs Bartlett said 1476 surgeries had been completed since July last year.

The total number of First Specialist Appointments (FSA) for the same period was 6520 and there had been 41,990 planned care appointments, including follow-ups.

But figures provided by Te Whatu Ora-Tairawhiti also show:

*Number of people/percentage waiting longer than four months for their first specialist assessment (FSA).

There are currently 2475 on the waitlist for an FSA, but 1290 (or 52 percent) have been waiting for more than four months.

*Number of people/percentage given a commitment to treatment but not treated within four months

There are currently 1047 patients with certainty of treatment, but 619 patients (or 59.12 percent) have waited greater than four months for treatment

*Faster Cancer Treatment.

For the year to date 2022/-2023, a total of 96 percent of patients with a suspicion of cancer have been seen within 31 days.

The patient said she was “deeply concerned” that Gisborne Hospital seemed “woefully incapable” of dealing with the district’s health needs.

“I feel sorry for those who have potentially life threatening issues that are being delayed etc, due to the Governments blatant mishandling of the New Zealand health system.”