Residents of an understaffed rest home near Christchurch suffered from dehydration and weight loss, according to an official audit.

A health authority has taken charge of an Auckland rest home after planning and management failings amounting to "evidence of neglect".

A man who severed part of his thumb in machinery had to wait eight hours for a hand specialist, who then told him it was too late to reattach it.

Abuse, neglect, disability care: words no one wants to see together. In 2006 a flurry of stories about appalling care sparked a Government inquiry. Despite steps to fix the problem, it's happening again.

People should get an oral health certificate from their dentist or dental specialist before getting their teeth whitened, the Health and Disability Commissioner says.

A woman with ovarian cancer, whose case was deemed "urgent", waited more than a month for surgery.

A Bay of Plenty woman who said her doctor failed to diagnose her breast cancer has died. Caro Galloway said she was repeatedly persuaded against having a lump removed. The incident is the subject of a Health and Disability complaint.

A social worker, who took about $55,000 worth of cash and gifts from a mentally ill patient, has been ordered to pay her $100,000 in damages.