Goff: Middlemore Hospital needs help as soon as possible
Auckland mayor Phil Goff has called for extra support for Middlemore Hospital as other community leaders slam “appalling” health funding for South Auckland.
Goff, who lives in Clevedon and within Counties Manukau DHB boundaries, said he was very concerned about reports of resourcing problems at Middlemore, which have been linked to the death or stillbirth of three babies.
“I welcome Health Minister David Clark indicating that additional support could be made available to deal with this,” he told the Herald. “It is important that this happens as soon as possible.”
Manukau and Labour Party councillor Efeso Collins labelled the situation “alarming and calamitous”.
The Government’s Wellbeing Budget was a good step, Collins said, but action needed to match the rhetoric.
Counties Manukau DHB has taken urgent steps, including hiring more staff after a damning internal review found problems like a lack of staff and bed space in maternity services contributed to the death or stillbirth of three babies.
Other patients were seriously harmed, and thousands of women were sent home too early after giving birth in a bid to free up capacity.
A Herald investigation has found maternity care for South Aucklanders fell below safe standards, as services struggled to cope with big increases in the number of pregnancies needing more care and monitoring.
Collins, also the chair of O¯ tara Health, said the DHB maternity services review made for shocking reading.
“The fact the review relates certain infant deaths to low services, poor funding, not enough beds — it is just unacceptable in today’s modern health system,” he said.
An “absolute overhaul” of funding was needed now, Collins said, and a related problem was the last Census failed to reach many people in the community, meaning per-person funding could be too low.
Daniel Newman, councillor for Manurewa-Papakura, had similar concerns about the Census.
“We don’t know the full extent of our community, and, therefore, we are unlikely to fund it properly.”
Deputy mayor and Franklin councillor Bill Cashmore said the DHB had been slow to react to population growth, but that had changed under the current management.
Earlier this week, Clark hinted some relief could be on the way.
“I expect to have more to say on that in coming weeks,” the Health Minister said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declined to comment in detail, saying she hadn’t been briefed on the maternity deaths.