Hospitals
Emergency departments and GPs - what the health frontline wants
It's less than a month since Simeon Brown was announced as the new Minister of Health - leaders in emergency medicine and in primary health talk about what's needed. Audio
Westport hospital closed overnight, residents told to call 111
Buller Health's acute stabilisation unit, also known as the hospital, will shut from 5.30pm tonight to 8.30am tomorrow morning, because of staff illness. It's at least the fourth time this month the… Audio
Govt unveils plan to protect hospitals through winter
The government has rolled out its long-awaited health plan to ease pressure on hospitals this coming winter season.
Wait times for emergency care were the worst on record last winter.
Now, a… Audio
Health NZ braces for tough winter with plan GPs are unaware of
Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand - is bracing for another tough winter season with eight hospital 'hotspots' set to bear the most pressure. Audio
Emergency Medicine doctors welcome Health Minister's acknowledgement of problems
Those in the health sector say Middlemore's Emergency Department isn't the only one under serious pressure.
A report has described Middlemore's ED as "dysfunctional, overcrowded and unsafe".
Senior… Video, Audio
No city emergency departments meeting treatment target - Health Minister
No big city hospitals are meeting their target for treating emergency department patients within six hours.
A report into Middlemore Hospital described the emergency department as "dysfunctional,… Video, Audio
Middlemore Emergency Dept faces systemic failures - report
A report has flagged serious concerns about Middlemore Hospital's Emergency Department.
The review was commissioned to look into the death of a woman after she left Middlemore ED without being seen.
…New children's health centre opens in Wellington
A new children's health unit in Wellington will provide special care for families from Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Malborough and all in between. Te Wao Nui was blessed at dawn before being formally opened… Video, Audio
Palmerston North Hospital ED to get children-only waiting area
Parents rushing their sick children to Palmerston North Hospital's under-pressure emergency department will soon be able sit away from the weekend drunks and other distractions.
Design work has begun… Audio
What does a nurse practitioner do?
They're not GPs, but they do nearly as much as one. Can nurse practitioners help relieve healthcare stress? Audio
The Week in Detail: Brain drains, All Blacks and student finances
The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio
Without a 24/7 clinic, hospital is East Aucklanders' only choice
East Auckland residents say they have been bounced between clinics and are waiting hours on end for urgent after-hours health care.
The population in the area is an estimated 140,000 people, but… Video, Audio
Health Minister denies sector crisis, despite overloaded hospitals
As hospitals and GPs around the country say they are cracking under the pressure, the Health Minister denies the sector is at crisis point.
Primary carers and hospitals nationwide say chronic staff… Audio
'Beyond distressing' for staff at hospitals around NZ - Dalton
Investigations continue into the death of a woman who left Middlemore Hospital's Emergency Department because of long wait times - only to return hours later, critically ill.
Counties Manukau… Video, Audio
Overworked, understaffed, pressured workers at all NZ's DHBs
Overworked, understaffed and under extreme pressure. That's not just the situation at Middlemore Hospital but also at almost every other DHB in the country, with a massive influx of patients suffering… Audio
Emergency doctor calls for masks in schools to help stem hospital crisis
An emergency doctor says there is massive pressure on the health system as a whole.
Hutt Hospital emergency physician Dr Tanya Wilton told Checkpoint there are already gaps in rosters, with staff… Video, Audio
Investigation follows woman's death after Middlemore's ED too crowded
Crisis meetings and investigations are continuing, after Middlemore ED's long wait times appear to have cost a life on Wednesday.
Counties Manukau District Health Board says patient presentations are… Audio
Health system under severe strain during winter illnesses
Multiple waves of winter illness are washing over a health system already under strain, and now the fight is on to keep clinicians heads above water. Dunedin Hospital is closed to visitors, Hawke's… Video, Audio
Govt takes national approach to hospitals' waitlist backlog
The government's introducing a 'high powered task force' to tackle the issue of ballooning waitlists for hospital operations and appointments.
There are 27,000 people who've been waiting four months… Audio
FENZ identifies various faults in hospitals' fire safety design
Official reviews of fire safety designs in hospitals have found many faults.
