Written By:
- Date published:
9:12 am, August 4th, 2025 - 17 comments
Categories: health -
Tags: elderly, Health System
Another day, another stupid consequence of NACTFirst’s mongrel government policies. North Shore hospital has dedicated a ward for patients who would normally be discharged but have nowhere to go.
RNZ,
North Shore Hospital has an entire ward of people stuck in hospital with no medical reason to be there.
The 20-bed ward was created in May for patients who were effectively medically discharged but did not have anywhere to go for lower level care, such as an aged care facility.
RNZ understands they were not under the direct care of doctors, but were looked after by nurses and allied health staff such as physiotherapists and social workers.
Some were there for weeks.
…
It was not ideal but it was a good, practical decision to have them in one place rather than dotted around the hospital, she said.
“It would be better to have them in the community but we just don’t have that capacity out there at the moment.”
This is a smart move by the hospital, especially as some of the people are elderly. But I have to wonder if it’s possible because it’s the North Shore and that hospitals elsewhere simply don’t have the space.
However there are significant, compounding flow on effects,
The head of the senior doctor’s union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Sarah Dalton, said it was not good for people to be in hospital when they did not need to be.
“You’re much better off to be in the community where you can be dressed and walking around and doing your daily things and doing exercise and getting rehab and all of those good things,” she said.
Having people stuck in hospital, also helped create longer surgical waiting lists, she said.
“One of the biggest contributors to cancellations of elective surgeries in hospitals is that there aren’t enough staffed beds to put the patients in after their surgery.”
“It has a domino effect back through the hospital in terms of other people’s ability to access care.”
The government needed to do more to fund public aged residential care and also support services that allowed people to go back to their own homes, rather than the “last resort” of having to stay in hospital, Dalton said.
Oh look, RNZ reported in September last year,
Health NZ directed to cut 200,000 “hospital bed nights a year to save moneyAged care sector “left out” of planning
Proposals to cut home support for elderly
60 percent of future retirees without a home to sell or private pension will not be able to afford residential care
Red tape preventing flexible models of care, says Aged Care Association
…
“Health New Zealand has been instructed by Health Minister Shane Reti to save 200,000 hospital bed nights a year and to do that, they need people to stay out of hospital and residential care.”
It’s not like they didn’t know,
These absolute fucking clowns. This crisis wasn’t created over night, nor even this parliamentary term. But NACTF are digging hard to make the hole bigger. How are those tax cuts looking now?
But don't we have a Ministry of Cutting Red Tape now to fix that?
Its a definite LOL from me Kaye!
Steady on Kay. We can now take our dogs with us for a haircut AND get a cup of tea.
This comment made my day haha
I changed your username back to what it was on previous comments.
Right-wing governments need crises to stand for something. "We're gonna fix this, and fix that…" If they fixed everything all they'd be able to say at election time is that they're "gonna make sure as much wealth as possible flows to the already wealthy" because in reality this is all they stand for. This government needs problems, so they sure as heck won’t be wanting any of them solved.
They've created alot more problems in health than existed when they took office to ensure it remains in crisis mode.
The opposition should crank up the narrative here as its so goddam obvious they're choking it.
Simeon brown appears to live a charmed life, gets to spray and walk away alot rather than be held accountable.
Before neo liberalism and “in the community care”–usually inadequately funded and run–became the way it was a normal function of many Hospitals to have “geriatric” wards and care.
And convalescent homes/wards. Now, if you have somewhere- anywhere- to go, it's boot you out before you're ready to free up your bed for the next person.
Also before neo-liberalism, families/whanau could get by on one wage.
Families were able to give the support and attention to those that needed it most eg the elders and the pre-schoolers.
Now it is normal to sub contract that love.
The obvious question is…where did they sleep the night before they went into hospital for whatever…and why can't they just go back there. But NO..we can't miss an opportunity to Blame National for people who can't get their proverbial together.
When people come out of hospital they are usually offered home support, depending on their living situation and I think income. But homecare is rationed, and for some people they need more care than can be provided at home, assuming the homecare is available and they are eligible.
People who might not have somewhere to go afterwards:
What a nasty comment. It must be so nice to be in your world, where nothing ever goes wrong, you have secure housing, private health insurance, well paid steady employment, savings for a rainy day and most importantly, you never get seriously ill and left to your own devices.
Where did they sleep? Well, I slept in my rental, and ended up being discharged back to my rental with severe mobility problems and no help whatsoever. A close friend in her 80s was discharged home from Middlemore just 5 days after surgery for a broken hip despite being in excruciating pain. They wanted (needed) her bed for someone else. Very little help for her, even from ACC.
This is the world of the great "unsorted" and it might do you well to never assume your life will stay how it is. The more superior you feel towards other, the further you fall, and I no longer have any sympathy for people with your attitude when they do. Karma is a real bitch.
Have a nice day.
The example you provide proves my point exactly..
In what other country can you get the Taxpayer to provide Hip Surgery for a woman in her 80s..(which is a debate in itself..let's say the surgery is successful but she dies of old age 2 months later)..Anyway.. gimme list ..Brazil..US?..Columbia?
Guess she not happy until taxpayer provides ALL her needs and if not..a GovMent rant like this OP .
It is exactly this entitled wokeism destroying this country and a bit of travel might open YOUR eyes.
Better the woman in her eighties be denied access to hip surgery and her last days continued to be excruciatingly painful, eh,sport.
/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_systems_by_country
Don’t shout (use capitals), it’s disrespectful and unnecessary.
Don’t use lazy labels that are utterly irrelevant to the subject matter.
Try add some value to the conversations here.
The right has gone completely mental if they think helping someone in dire need is "woke"
No it's basic humanity, and we need much more of that, and much less greed and cruelty.