West Aucklanders are not second class citizens say nurses
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) believes there is no good reason for Waitemata DHB (WDHB) to move Waitakere
Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit to North Shore Hospital.
NZNO organiser Adam Craigie says, “All Auckland patients should be able to access to an appropriately-staffed purpose
built cardiac care unit, with high standards of nursing care and support. When the doors at Waitakere Coronary Care Unit
close, a large section of the Auckland population will find it much harder to access the specialised coronary care they
need, when and where they need it.”
“Although the proposal to close the Coronary Care Unit at Waitakere Hospital is being done under the guise of best
evidence and improved service delivery, moving vital health services to the North Shore undermines access to healthcare
for Waitakere residents, a community of 275,000 plus people.”
“Even though the DHB is working towards redeploying staff to other areas and offering redundancy to others, residents in
West Auckland will bear the brunt of the loss of their dedicated CCU. Saying they will integrate cardiology patients
into a general medical ward goes nowhere near mitigating the loss of a specialised staff and a dedicated unit,’ Craigie
says.
“The proposed changes to cardiology services will have a large impact on Waitakere Hospital emergency department and
medical emergency response and should not be underestimated.”
“West Aucklanders are not second class citizens and should not have to put up with second rate health services. NZNO
will continue to support the community in their fight to keep vital health services in the west.”
ENDS.