Family visitor hours could be relaxed at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, but nursing union has a ‘lot of concerns’

Hawke's Bay Hospital could change its rules around visitors. Photo / NZME

Concerns have been raised about a plan to relax visitor hours at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, allowing family members to stay with patients 24-seven “where appropriate”.

A nursing union representative says it could cause safety issues for night staff and disrupt other patients in shared rooms, preventing them from getting adequate rest.

Current visitor hours at the hospital are 1pm to 8pm daily, although some wards are slightly different.

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora chief executive Dale Bramley shared the planned changes in an email to staff this month.

The email – seen by Hawke’s Bay Today – stated the introduction of a national Patient and Whānau Family Support Policy would “elevate compassion within our culture” and provide a consistent approach for public hospitals across the country.

“Whānau will be supported to be with patients 24/7 where appropriate, working alongside our nursing and maternity teams to make this possible, while also respecting the privacy and recovery of others,” the note read.

“We know from patients and their families that having the support of loved ones at the bedside is one of the things that matters most in their healing journey.”

The email stated the new policy would be gradually introduced, and Whanganui Hospital had adopted the policy as a frontrunner.

“As the rollout progresses, we will learn from the experiences of staff, patients and whānau so we can adapt and improve as we go.”

According to the Whanganui Hospital website, whānau can be nominated to support patients, outside of usual visiting hours, by making arrangements with the nursing or midwifery team.

Health NZ national chief nurse Nadine Gray told Newstalk ZB the changes would not lead to groups of visitors staying in hospital wards late into the night.

“It is not about having five or six people there, it is about having a nominated person with you overnight,” she said.

When contacted by Hawke’s Bay Today with a list of questions, Health NZ responded with a short statement on behalf of acting chief executive Dr Richard Sullivan.

“Health New Zealand will review the Whānau Family Support Policy following recent feedback,” the statement read.

“This is to ensure the policy is fit for purpose and continues to meet the needs of patients, staff and visitors.”

Health NZ did not answer specific questions, such as when the changes could be implemented at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

‘A lot of concerns’: union

NZ Nurses Organisation kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, who formerly worked at Hawke’s Bay Hospital and lives in the region, said the plans raised multiple issues.

“There are times when it is important for family to have access to their loved ones. There is no doubt about that,” she said.

“But the problem with this is that it has the potential of disrupting a lot of things – patient flow, the work of nurses with patients, and security issues – it raises a lot of concerns.”

Nuku said it was important that healthcare workers could focus on the vital work at hand, which could become difficult if visitors were “roaming through the wards all hours of the day and night”.

“Nurses on the floor themselves will become security to say ‘who are you with?’ and that takes a lot of time to manage.”

She said it would be an added burden for already stretched nurses.

Patients also needed adequate rest to recover, and Hawke’s Bay Hospital had plenty of rooms with four beds, Nuku said.

“The disruption to other patients is going to be enormous.

“If you have single-bedded units, well, that might be a possibility, but this is far from that.”

She said it should be a case-by-case decision made by staff, and not a set rule.