Laminated Cards In ED With Health Minister's Number 'common Knowlege'

Health Secretary Andrew Little's laminated contact card for frustrated patients was widely known at the Wellington Emergency Center.

One mum told how a nurse at a Wellington hospital gave her such a card when she witnessed "terrible" scenes in the emergency room when her daughter was suffering from severe pneumonia with a temperature of 40 degrees.

Nursing Organization of New Zealand spokeswoman Serena Gray said the small plastic cards were kept in a bag in the triage ward and were "no secret". Contact details directed patients to Little's office in Parliament.

But Dr John Tate, acting district manager of Te Whatu Ora, said their investigation "so far" has found no evidence that the cards have been distributed.

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RNZ

A Wellington woman talks about her shock in a hospital emergency room when she was there earlier this month.

Gray said the idea for the cards came from the "sheer frustration of a nurse being told off about a situation she can't change."

Nurses were offended by sick patients with long waits, but they were unable to help overburdened hospitals. "The healthcare system is failing - it's not a reflection of the hospital, but we all need to come together and find a solution."

The mother, who was given a card and asked not to be named, said her 14-year-old daughter had been ill for several days and the antibiotics prescribed by her GP hadn't helped. Her GP told her to go to the emergency room if she felt unwell over the weekend of November 5th.

That Saturday, the girl's temperature reached 39.6 degrees, dizziness, pulse 125 beats per minute. They went to the emergency room and were eventually called by the triage nurse who told them they would have to wait six hours and that there were 52 people on the list in front of them.

“We had no food, no painkillers, no bedding and my daughter was sick. As a mother, I was torn between sitting in the so-called emergency room for six hours or more and waiting or driving home.

They returned home, where they went to the family doctor, who told them to return to hospital immediately.

“During the horrific journey to the hospital, my daughter was unable to speak. She asked to get into the car, it was hard for her to breathe, her temperature rose to 40 degrees, and her pulse was 135 beats per minute.

According to the mother, a nurse, then a resident surgeon, then a doctor came after the exam—all were compassionate and professional. While waiting for the results, she spoke to a nurse.

“I noticed that the system does not seem to work. She nodded in agreement. He said if I was even a little motivated, I should contact Health Secretary Andrew Little.

“His email address and work phone number were on the card the nurse gave me. All the nurses tried to raise their voices, but to no avail. Now they need everyone's help."

When their daughter was admitted to the hospital, they returned to the main ER.

“It was like a scene from a horror movie. Every booth and aisle was crowded, people crammed into every nook and cranny.

The tapes aren't an attack on Little, Gray said, "but he's the kind of guy who needs to know about patients' personal experiences and can help do something about it." He agreed with Little that problems accessing basic services such as B. GP clinics put pressure on hospitals.

Little said “ED problems are not ED problems” when asked on Monday how health care might be accessed if people didn't have easy access to emergency care.

"To solve the problems of erectile dysfunction, we have to solve the problems of primary health care, elder care and related health services," Little said. Front-line services in hospitals were under "significant pressure" due to staff shortages.

"This shortage affects the entire healthcare sector and includes shortages in general practice clinics and aged care." The government is actively recruiting foreign nurses and encouraging the return of former nurses, he said.

Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley declined Stuff's request for an interview but said in a statement they were investigating.

Interim District Director John Tate said the handing out of the cards was "completely inappropriate."

"So far we have not found any evidence that this has happened, but we will verify this claim."

Hospital occupancy and long-term patient numbers are "above previously seen levels and remain a challenge," Tate said, with understaffing also having an ongoing impact.

The New Zealand Nurses Organization said in a statement it will "actively defend" nurses who may have taken action against them over the cards.

“The employer's failure to address the issue has left guardians with no choice but to take the initiative. Instead of starting a witch hunt, we advise the employer to look into the problem of lack of equipment in case of an emergency.

Panel V: Building resilience and empowering vulnerable migrants