KEY POINTS:
Waitemata District Health Board has welcomed an investigation into the treatment of four elderly patients, three of whom died, after they were taken to North Shore Hospital's emergency department last year.
Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson has launched the inquiry after a number of complaints about the treatment of the patients, who were all over 70 and had "multiple serious health problems".
The inquiry would look at the standard of care and adequacy of information given to the patients, at the emergency department and two medical wards between July 1 and October 31 last year, he said.
Bed shortages and pressure on staff led to a particularly difficult year for the hospital last year.
Patients were often kept in corridors because there were no beds and during the winter when demand for hospital services peaked, ambulances were used as makeshift wards for some patients.
The Waitemata board said last night it welcomed the review and it would modify or change its systems where needed to give better treatment and care for patients.
- NZPA
