Whakatāne Hospital shortages mean some mothers will have to give birth in Tauranga

Whakatāne Hospital would not be able to provide obstetric care from mid-January, Health NZ said. Photo / NZME

• Whakatāne Hospital is changing to a primary birthing service next month because of a shortage of specialists.
• Low-risk births will still take place at the hospital, but those needing intervention will be sent to Tauranga Hospital.
• Healthcare workers and people in the community say they are “devastated” by the change.

Some expectant parents in the Bay of Plenty will have to travel further afield for care because of a shortage of specialists.

Health NZ-Te Whatu Ora said today that Whakatāne Hospital would be changing to a primary birthing service in mid-January.

That means low-risk pregnancies will still take place at the hospital with the assistance of midwives. Anyone requiring intervention – such as an emergency C-section – will have to travel to Tauranga Hospital.

Hospital staff were told of the decision in a meeting last week. Some staff and health workers in the community said they were “devastated”. Around 650 babies are born at the hospital each year, and its catchment covers most of the eastern Bay of Plenty and some of New Zealand’s most deprived areas.

Bay of Plenty group director of operations Pauline McGrath said the change was the result of shortages in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology services.

“This temporary change is required to ensure the safe care for whānau engaging with our maternity services, while we recruit additional specialist staff,” she said.

“Clinical safety for pregnant people and babies is our key priority during this time.”

McGrath said Health NZ was committed to resuming secondary maternity services at the hospital as soon as possible.

“We recognise the significant impact this will have on whānau in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, obstetricians and midwives both in a hospital and community setting. We also recognise this will result in increased workload for the maternity services at Tauranga Hospital.

“This decision has been carefully considered and necessary to maintain safe and quality maternity care.

“We will be utilising district and regional clinical capacity and are working closely with Hato Hone St John to ensure that hospital transfers are prioritised for hapū whānau as and when required.”

Some healthcare workers in the region raised concerns that the hospital did not appear to be advertising for specialists.

But McGrath said Health NZ was recruiting locally and internationally and was “pursuing a number of options to help return to full-service provision”.

She said outpatient antenatal care would continue at Whakatāne Hospital, with the support of Tauranga-based specialists.

Until recently, up to four obstetricians were employed at the hospital. However, it is understood that all of the specialists had left or were in the process of leaving. Some had been recruited from overseas and were now returning home.

A workforce plan published by Health NZ last week said that there were around 60 obstetric vacancies around the country – around 15% of the total workforce.

Health NZ is in the process of a “reset” which involves large-scale job cuts of non-frontline workers. Health Commissioner Professor Lester Levy was brought in by the Government in July in a bid to get the organisation to spend within its budget.

Isaac Davison is an Auckland-based reporter who covers health issues. He joined the Herald in 2008 and has previously covered the environment, politics and social issues.