Shortages frustrate clinician

A shortage of vital medical equipment has forced frontline hospital staff into ’’MacGyvering solutions’’, a Hutt Valley clinician has claimed.

‘‘The lack of stock on just about every basic thing we need to provide safe surgery and anaesthesia in NZ, due to a company supply issue, is a joke,’’ the clinician wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

‘‘Every day we are MacGyvering solutions, and it’s not good enough.’’

His comments refer to the United States TV show MacGyver, about a secret agent who improvises his way out of sticky situations by his inventive use of common items, along with his ever-present Swiss Army knife and duct tape.

The clinician, understood to work for the Hutt Valley District Health Board, said examples of affected equipment included intravenous delivery sets, anaesthesia masks, forced air warmers (for warming hypothermic patients), and sequential compression devices, for preventing deepvein thrombosis.

He said the nationwide issue had been going for weeks, and frontline staff were becoming increasingly frustrated.

‘‘We should change supplier so that our hospitals can be equipped,’’ he wrote on his public Twitter account, which has since been turned private.

Both the Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast district health boards confirmed there had been stock shortages, and that they were working with alternative suppliers, but emphasised that patient safety was not at risk.

Capital & Coast hospital and healthcare services general manager Chris Lowry said no surgery had been cancelled as a result of the shortages.

‘‘We appreciate that this has been frustrating for our clinical staff.

‘‘We have increased monitoring of our clinical supply levels, and are actively working to find an alternative supplier.’’

There was a wide range of medical items on back order from one supplier, she said.

Hutt Valley chief executive officer Ashley Bloomfield said patient safety was ‘‘paramount’’ at all times.

‘‘There was an issue on the part of the suppliers of the medical equipment, including sequential compression devices, Yankaeurs and IV giving sets.

‘‘This impacted not only the Hutt Valley DHB, but DHBs throughout New Zealand and Australia.’’

Health board staff redistributed existing supplies to areas where they were needed, particularly in operating theatres, and found alternative suppliers where possible.

The Hutt Valley DHB ‘‘has taken the necessary steps to ensure that supplies are received’’, she said.

‘‘We are now working with alternative suppliers to ensure consistency of supply.’’