19 September 2013
Is The North Shore Elective Surgery Model A Costly Experiment?
“Is the North Shore surgery model a costly experiment,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of
Salaried Medical Specialists, today. This is the overriding question in our new Health Dialogue publication on Waitemata District Health Board’s so-called ‘package of care’ elective surgery model at North Shore. The Health Dialogue can be downloaded on www.asms.org.nz.
“In this publication we examine an over-hyped controversial ‘model of care’ introduced by Waitemata DHB for a new
elective surgical centre. Dedicated elective surgical centres separated from acute and emergency surgery are recognised
both internationally and in New Zealand as both appropriate and beneficial under certain conditions. These conditions
exist in Waitemata.”
“The controversy involves the hyped up rhetoric, lack of robust assessment of direct and indirect risks, questionable
tactics, and the divisive use of private surgical contractors. We hope that the elective surgical centre at North Shore
succeeds but these problems create unnecessary and avoidable obstacles.”
“It is unfortunate that in a snobbish manner they turned their noses up at and declined to learn from the successful
implementation of a dedicated elective surgical centre down the road in Counties Manukau DHB.”
“It is important that the hyped ideology, tactics and divisiveness that prevailed in Waitemata on this occasion don’t
spread to other DHBs when considering new innovative ways of improving patient care,” concluded Mr Powell.
ENDS