Medical director quits in second shock for Hawke's Bay hospice

Hawke's Bay's palliative care facility Cranford Hospice will be put under the microscope in an investigation welcomed by management, who say they have nothing to hide.
It was the first of two bombshells for staff at the Hastings hospice yesterday with the medical director also disclosing he had resigned.
The independent investigation into the standard of patient care at the Hastings hospice would begin once clinical experts were available.
It was initiated by the Hawke's Bay District Health Board, sparked by a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner and comes after months of turmoil for staff - some of whom signed a letter to show their discontent.
Nursing staff, in November, described working at Cranford as "hideous".
The district health board (DHB) would not say what the complaint to the commissioner was about.
Mike Harris, the medical director brought in as part of a restructure in 2007, would not give a reason for his exit yesterday but hospice director Barry Keane said his colleague would stay on until April.
"Mike originally stated his intentions in December and, despite my efforts to encourage him to stay, he has confirmed his intentions to me to move on to other challenges," Mr Keane said.
Former medical director Kerryn Lum lost her job as part of the restructure by Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC) and yesterday said she was sad events had escalated to the point where an investigation was needed.
"The Cranford clinical team has continued to do their very best under challenging circumstances," Dr Lum said.
"I believe the frontline staff have always, and will always, have the best interests of their patients and their whanau at heart."
Mr Keane welcomed the investigation and said the organisation was willing to be transparent and accountable for the care provided. "While I am sure the review may well highlight some things we can improve on, I am confident that it will show that the clinical team at Cranford Hospice provide very good care in line with best practice standards."
Shaun Robinson, the chief executive of PSEC, said the review would answer criticisms aired through the media and "show the public that Cranford has nothing to hide".
A team of auditors, which will include independent palliative care experts, will be set up by Technical Advisory Services who work for district health boards.
The review will replace the planned three-yearly audit.
The group of auditors are due to report back to the DHB at the beginning of April and a summary of their findings will be released to the public.
The DHB's acting general manager of planning and funding, Ken Foote, said the DHB received the complaint last week.
"The DHB has had a long relationship with Cranford and it is vitally important to us that Cranford offers the best end-of-life care," Mr Foote said.