Hospital name plans spelled out

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter

Auckland health managers have unveiled their latest bid to defuse the naming row over Starship and two other hospitals.

The Starship would become Starship Children's Health under a proposal now to be subjected to wide consultation.

The Auckland District Health Board had renamed the children's hospital as Auckland City Hospital Children's Services, but backed down after a public outcry and Government warnings to listen to the community.

It also dropped the new names Women's Services and Cardiac Services it had given to National Women's Hospital and Green Lane Hospital.

Under yesterday's proposal, National Women's would become National Women's Health.

That and the new Starship name would be attached to the name Auckland City Hospital, for acute cases, and Greenlane Clinical Centre, for most outpatients and day surgery.

But the name Green Lane Hospital would still be scrapped, its legacy surviving only as a suggested Green Lane Institute for research, teaching and fundraising purposes.

Green Lane's clinical leader, Dr Margaret Wilsher, has indicated a grudging acceptance of this, as the board says the public would be confused by having "Green Lane" services in Grafton and Greenlane.

Her staff, however, have not given up the fight.

"We think the name should also be attached to services to people, not just a training and research institute," said one senior doctor.

Green Lane is likely to be carved up into its component departments, such as respiratory services and cardiology, but this will be decided after more consultation.

In a memo to the board's staff this week, chief executive Graeme Edmond said he was keen to finalise the new names.

He is seeking the views of staff, external stakeholders like the fundraising Starship Foundation, and the public through submissions and an independent telephone survey of 200 people in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

A Starship intensive-care specialist, Dr Liz Segedin, said most of the hospital's senior staff were relaxed about the name Starship Children's Health, which was one of its three existing names.

She said they would continue using that name, which was appropriate for Starship clinics at other hospitals, and the other two: Starship Children's Hospital, and Starship Children's Hospital of New Zealand.

National Women's senior staff have indicated they would accept their hospital's proposed name.

The board wants to decide on the new names at its public meeting next month.

Proposed names

* Starship Children's Health.

* National Women's Health.

* Green Lane Hospital's name would be scrapped in relation to clinical services. It would survive only as a Green Lane Institute, for research, teaching and fundraising.

* Public submissions: These will be accepted until next Friday. Email jhelean@adhb.govt.nz or post to Julie Helean, consultation manager, Auckland District Health Board, PO Box 92189, Auckland.

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