KEY POINTS:
Wanganui Hospital has room for improvement but compares favourably with other hospitals, an independent clinical review has found.
The review was conducted after public outrage over three separate cases of patient injury .
In 2005 and 2006 several women became pregnant after undergoing sterilisation operations performed by Dr Roman Hasil.
Last year, more than 160 patient referrals were not processed due to a system failure resulting in delayed patient assessment and treatment.
In early 2004, a 52-year-old woman died of an undetected heart problem. An investigation later found her condition went unnoticed because of a lack of communication between her general practitioner and Wanganui Hospital.
The review of clinical quality found Wanganui Hospital to be comparable with other New Zealand hospitals.
"There is ample room for improvement at Wanganui Hospital but the gap between current state and ideal is similar to that seen throughout New Zealand."
The review also found there were no similarities between the three cases of public injury and said the hospital "had learnt" from these events.
"Regrettable though these events are, they also had many unforeseeable and unpreventable elements and need to be viewed in the entire context of the safe care competently delivered to the majority of patients."
The report listed several specific recommendations aimed at improving the hospital's clinical safety and highlighted the hospital's staffing problems, particularly in general surgery and gynaecology.
A second report on the Whanganui District Health Board (DHB) was also released by the Ministry of Health today. This joint review looked at the hospital's overall performance and offered its own recommendations.
The DHB was working to implement recommendations from both the reviews, the ministry said.
Ministry principal medical advisor Dr David Galler said improvement work was under way.
"Many aspects of the board's performance have not been ideal and that is highlighted in these reports."
Key themes to emerge from both reviews were the need for process and system improvements, such as greater theatre efficiency and better patient flow through the emergency department.
"Wanganui Hospital has a dedicated and well-qualified medical workforce committed to providing the best care possible to the people of Wanganui," Dr Galler said.
- NZPA
