“Clinical chiefs such as chief nurses and chief medical officers will have a wider focus, in addition to the operational needs of their particular hospital,” Sullivan said.
Whanganui District councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan, a former Whanganui District Health Board member, said it was positive to hear the news but she was still concerned about the depleted workforce at Whanganui Hospital.
“A chief medical officer is not going to fix the situation alone,” Baker-Hogan said.
“That’s good to hear that it’s not being downgraded but the whole community needs more of an investment in primary care and iwi-led health organisations ... to keep improving health outcomes.”
Tripe said it was “great news” and he had spoken to Health Minister Dr Shane Reti during his visit to Whanganui Hospital about increasing health services in Whanganui.
“I think it represents the importance of our hospital here and through to Ruapehu, Rangitīkei and South Taranaki as well.
“We’re not just a backwater hospital, we’re a significant provider of healthcare to our community and those beyond.”
Whanganui MP Carl Bates said he had advocated against the proposed changes, arguing they would have risked disrupting Whanganui’s high-performing healthcare services.
“This is absolutely the right decision for Whanganui,” Bates said.
“Our existing model works extremely well, with strong clinical pathways and relationships with Palmerston North and Wellington.”
Bates said it was an example of Government consultations being genuine.
“We get a lot of pushback that we’re not listening, and this is clearly an example where there’s been a proposal – I’ve certainly gone and advocated on behalf of Whanganui constituents – and we’ve got an outcome for Whanganui.”
Tripe said he wanted to explore plans to expand nursing teaching and develop a rural medical pathway for GPs with the Te Huataki Waiora School of Health – University of Waikato.
A Health New Zealand spokesperson said it received a significant amount of feedback about the suggestion to group several smaller regions with larger ones from a clinical leadership perspective.
“The decision not to proceed will minimise any disruption from changes and will support existing relationships between clinical and operational leadership roles at local and regional levels.
“We may decide to revisit this issue in the future and if so, we would consult on any proposed changes.”
Sullivan said clinical chiefs would now adopt a “whole-of-system” way of working to ensure greater consistency at a regional and local level.
“We are pleased that we can now provide more certainty and continuity of leadership for our people,” he said.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023. You can contact her on eva.dejong@nzme.co.nz.
