The father of a Hamilton man who died while under the care of Waikato DHB says it is unclear if a psychiatrist arrested for identity fraud was involved in the treatment of his son.

Waikato Hospital bosses are contacting 25 mental health patients after they were treated by a psychiatrist suspected of identity fraud.

A nurse who stole 5000 vials from a restricted medicine room was able to keep taking the drug because the hospital did not confiscate her ID swipe card.

The Waikato District Health Board has declared flu season officially kicking off after a spike in the number of reported influenza-like-illnesses.

Two Hamilton schoolkids have contracted measles, causing one school to put quarantine measures in place.

District health boards that do heart surgery cannot produce reliable comparisons of individual surgeons' patient complication and death rates.

The Waikato District Health Board has backed its incoming chief executive, despite concerns about his time overseeing a Canadian health authority.

The new boss of Waikato's DHB was in charge of one of the worst-performing Canadian health authorities - and Labour has questioned his appointment.

A psychiatric assistant who forced a young autistic patient to the ground and held him in a head lock was justifiably dismissed, the ERA rules.

Hundreds of health workers are being bitten, head-butted and assaulted while they look after sick, injured and distressed patients.

Waikato District Health Board leaders do not hide from their hospitals' unenviable status as having one of the highest death rates in the country.

The Waikato District Health Board is offering free whooping cough vaccinations to women from 20 weeks of pregnancy up until to two weeks after the birth of their babies.