SDHB ups access to colonoscopies

‘‘Given that Andrew was acceptable to all parties involved in undertaking that work, we decided to back it,’’ Fleming said.

Referrals from specialists would, however, still need to go through a prioritisation or triage process to determine when colonoscopies could be scheduled, he said.

Regular audits would ensure that all colonoscopies were treated the same in terms of clinical priority, he said.

Fleming acknowledged that strained relationships remained the department’s biggest challenge.

‘‘We need to build relationships between teams but ... that’s going to take time.’’

The Southern DHB is now considering outside help to rebuild trust and confidence among staff members.

The board was considering working with the Cognitive Institute, which had helped other DHBs through similar issues, Fleming said. ‘‘The dynamics and issues are far greater than one person.’’ Everyone involved in the department – including management – shared responsibility for the current state of staff relationships, he said, adding that action should have been taken to address such issues when they originally arose.

Fleming noted that the SDHB was continuing to develop the Endoscopy User Group as needed. He said he regularly engaged with the group to find ways to provide more support.

‘‘Frankly, I’m just calling on everyone involved: It’s time to put history behind us and focus on the fact that we’re here for patient care.’’

Southern District Health Board specialists are now allowed to offer their patients colonoscopies.

DHB chief executive Chris Fleming said the move to give specialists easier access to colonoscopies was expected to remove delays and frustrations but waiting lists would be monitored to ensure they don’t get longer.

The biggest worry, he said, was that GPs had stopped referring patients because of a loss of confidence.

‘‘I really encourage primary care to refer patients appropriately. If the waiting lists go up, we’ll need to take action from there.’’

The change comes after two external reports focused on the gastrointestinal department, Chris Fleming which was called ‘‘dysfunctional’’ Southern DHB CEO in a 2019 report.

The most recent report, written by former Medical Council chairman Andrew Connolly, was commissioned by Fleming and chief medical officer Dr Nigel Millar to determine the most pragmatic, immediate recommendations.

One of these recommendations was that specialists should be allowed to refer patients who don’t necessarily fit the national guideline criteria for colonoscopies without the need to justify their referrals to a review panel.

Connolly’s report suggested the review panel should only deal with cases that do not come from gastrointestinal specialists.

‘‘If the waiting lists go up, we’ll need to take action from there.’’