Car park costs bump up hospital security bill

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

Security costs more than quadrupled at one of the country's largest health boards last year, mainly because of controversial parking charges for visitors.

The Waitemata board spent $622,653 on security in 11 months last year, compared with $154,000 in the previous 12 months.

But despite being numerically the country's largest board, with a population catchment of about 450,000, its security bill is smaller than at some other boards.

The Wellington-based Capital and Coast board, with a population of about 225,000, was the biggest spender on security of five of the country's largest health boards surveyed by the Herald.

It spent $1.74 million in the 11 months to last November 30 on security, although the figure is inflated by the inclusion of orderlies, since at its hospitals both jobs are done by the same workers.

The Herald sought figures under the Official Information Act on the costs of security, public relations staff and secretaries/personal assistants at the Auckland, Waitemata, Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury health boards.

The Canterbury board had the highest disclosed spending, at around $230,000 a year, on public relations staff - although Capital and Coast refused to answer, saying that doing so might breach the privacy of the staff as it is a small group.

Waitemata's communications general manager Caroline Mackersey said yesterday the main reason for the increase in her board's security costs was the introduction of weekday parking charges for visitors - although it remains free for patients - at the North Shore Hospital carpark. Security staff run the carpark.

The other reasons:

* Increased security at Waitakere Hospital and the board's 28 other sites.

* A greater need to call on security guards to help with patients and their families or friends who acted aggressively in hospitals, and occasionally in the community.

Alcohol abuse, drug abuse and mental illness were often factors.

Mrs Mackersey said in one incident six people - police, the board's security staff and others from a security firm - were involved in trying to subdue one person.

Canterbury's spending on public relations staff was even higher than the Auckland board's expenditure last year of $191,600, which was a 10.8 per cent increase on Auckland's 2001 figure.

But several boards said it was meaningless to compare their costs for public relations and the other categories because of their different ways of defining classes of work.

Auckland's chief executive, Graeme Edmond, said his board's communications staff fielded frequent media inquiries from international, national and local media - "which is not always the case for other DHBs".

The communications staff also wrote an internal publication for the board's 7500 staff and were involved in public consultation.

Canterbury had the highest disclosed outlay on secretaries and personal assistants, at $5.65 million for 11 months last year (Waitemata was unable to provide complete figures).

However, the figure also includes telephonists, receptionists and medical secretaries.

Counties Manukau's public relations staff costs were the lowest disclosed, at $68,937 for 11 months last year, a reduction from the $110,150 spent in 2001.

The board hires a public relations firm rather than having a team on staff and requires many employees to undertake different components of public relations and communications.




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