More than 2300 Northlanders on hospital waiting list

Arna-Lise Harris fell pregnant with her sixth child while waiting since June 2018 for tubal ligation surgery. Photo / Tania Whyte

More than 2300 patients are on the waiting list for elective surgeries in Whangārei Hospital where demand for acute medical and surgical services has exceeded operating theatre capacity.

Acute surgery used to require less than one operating theatre, but because of Northland's rapidly growing and ageing population, the hospital now requires two for "acutes".

That leaves four of the hospital's six operating theatres available for elective or planned surgery.

Funding has been allocated to the Northland District Health Board to build two new operating theatres and construction will start in February. They will be ready for use in early 2021.

Information obtained under the Official Information Act revealed there were 1819 patients waiting for elective surgery at Whangārei Hospital as at the end of November, excluding 524 on the orthopaedic surgical booking list.

The average wait time is 100 days for orthopaedic patients and 116 days for other elective surgeries.

From January to October 31, six patients were placed directly on the surgical waiting list, 898 referrals were accepted for clinic appointment or assessment, and a further 46 required further information from the referring doctor.

Northland DHB chief executive Dr Nick Chamberlain said an increase in the number of elective surgeries performed at Kaitaia Hospital has reduced travel burden for those living in the mid and Far North.

Waiting times for elective surgery or planned care have always been challenging across New Zealand and indeed around the world, he said.

"Understandably, patients expect to be seen promptly and waiting many months is incredibly frustrating, particularly when patients are in pain.

"We do have to prioritise those urgent patients who have a high suspicion of cancer or are assessed as being the most clinically severe, and they have much shorter waiting times."

Chamberlain said although Northland DHB had been severely impacted by industrial action this year, most of it has now been resolved and his staff planned to reduce waiting times significantly over the next year.

Whangārei mother of six Arna-Lise Harris was one of 2343 Northlanders on the waiting list as at the end of November.

She had been waiting since April 2018 to have tubal ligation, a surgical procedure for female sterilisation. And in that time she fell pregnant with her sixth child and fears she may conceive again if surgery isn't fast-tracked.

She has had postnatal depression and anxiety and she cannot use most contraceptives.

"I was put on an urgent list and the surgery was meant to be done by December last year. I tried to call the hospital at the start of 2019 and although I got people, no one was able to give me an answer.

"It's really crazy. There'll be people in pain waiting for surgery, people in more pain than me, and their quality of life is affected," she said.

Northland DHB service manager surgical Jo West said Harris was fast-tracked through pre-assessment and noted fit for surgery in June 2018.

She was telephoned by the booking clerk in July this year when she advised she was pregnant and requested surgery after giving birth.

West said Harris has been re-entered to the surgical booking list using original dates and was planned for surgery in February 2020.

Former avionics engineer Frederick Grace, 81, is being forced to walk like a "crab" while waiting for a specialist assessment on his right knee.

Frederick Grace has been waiting since May for a specialist assessment on his right knee. Photo / Tania Whyte

The Whakapara man said doctors prescribed him strong pain killers and said the Northland DHB told him priority was being given to victims of motor vehicle crashes and sports injuries.

"The hospital isn't getting the required funding to hire more specialist staff and the shortage of doctors is making things worse. I hope they ring me sooner rather than later," he said.

West said the hospital received a referral for Grace for right knee pain in May 2019 and he has been accepted for a first specialist appointment (FSA).

"The current wait time for FSA is eight months. With public holidays over December and January we expect to provide Grace with an appointment in February 2020."

West said Grace wasn't on the surgical booking list but awaiting a specialist appointment for assessment of his symptoms that would determine whether he met the treatment threshold for surgery.

Northland DHB has 33.65 fulltime equivalent surgical positions for specialist medical officer, 1.4 medical officer special scale, and 19.85 registrars.