The Kāpiti Health Advisory Group (KHAG) have organised a series of public meetings to drive up interest in a Polyclinic for the Kāpiti Coast as news comes through of a new healthcare harm report which reveals 104 patients suffered severe damage from their care in 2023/24 – including 18 deaths.
The Kāpiti Health Advisory Group meetings start in Paekākāriki on March 18 with further meetings in Waikanae, Ōtaki, Raumati, and Paraparaumu.
The healthcare harm report reveals three Wellington region patients died waiting for treatment in 2023/24. They were among 104 patients who suffered severe damage from their care, of whom 18 died.
The Capital, Coast, Hutt Valley (CCHV) report depicts a system buckling under pressure from all directions. Five patients suffered “resource-related” serious harm, “where previously there had been none”.
The report says increased demand, full hospitals, staffing issues and long waits to see a GP all ramped up the pressure.
“There are increased presentations and longer wait times in emergency departments. We are also starting to see increased waits for some surgeries and procedures beyond the recommended timeframes as well as delays in treatment or transfer.”
Porirua GP and General Practice NZ chairman Bryan Betty says the three treatment delay deaths were no surprise.
“We know there’s been resource constraints all over the system. The really important thing with these reports is that we work out how we prevent this happening.”
Health NZ is failing to meet all its targets, with about a third of patients waiting longer than the target time for emergency department treatment, first specialist assessments and elective surgery.
Dr Betty says patients denied specialist assessments or left languishing on treatment waiting lists visited their family doctor two to three times as often.
“So it’s putting pressure back on general practice; it’s costing the patient; it’s costing the system.”
Health NZ apologised to any patients and whānau who had experienced “sub-optimal care”, and promised to learn from those failings. Nationwide, the agency was “deeply committed” to faster cancer treatment, shorter stays in ED and shorter waits for specialist assessments and surgery.
