Starship Foundation to get a say at last

By ELIZABETH BINNING

Dogmatic Auckland health administrator Wayne Brown yesterday relented in the Starship name-change row.

Mr Brown, who chairs the Auckland District Health Board, has agreed to discuss the issue with the Starship Foundation, the charity that has raised millions for the children's hospital.

Until now he has not consulted the charity, arguing that there was no legal requirement for the board to discuss a name change.

But Mr Brown said: "We are definitely going to talk to the foundation."

As to whether other parties, such as hospital staff or the public, would get a say on the change, he said he could not comment without talking to the board.

"I am the chairman of the board, I'm not the whole blimmin' thing."

The foundation's executive director, Patricia Wright, said: "We are absolutely delighted with that. We really welcome the decision."

The board attracted enormous criticism after the Herald reported eight days ago that the name Starship was to go in favour of Children's Services of Auckland City Hospital.

Since then, the board has twice modified the name. The latest suggestions, Starship Children's Services or Starship Children's, will be discussed at the next board meeting on Thursday.

Starship's clinical leader, Scott Macfarlane, said hospital staff were upset that they had not even been told about the latest change, let alone consulted.

Mr Brown said questions from staff about a name change had never been put to the board.

He said the Public Health and Disability Act required consultation over proposed changes to services, but altering Starship's name was not a change to the service.

As a result there was no consultation.

The act states that "consultation with the resident population must occur before a DHB proposes any significant changes (to policies, outputs, or funding for outputs)".