Major issues in Gisborne Hospital's radiology department, including lack of space and "fluctuating temperatures", will be resolved after a refurbishment of the building.
It's six years since concerns were first raised about Gisborne Hospital's radiology department. Photo: Liam Clayton / The Gisborne Herald
Hauora Tairawhiti's radiology department has been the subject of a number of "strong recommendations" since 2014, with a radiology service accreditation report in 2018 pointing to "ongoing non-conformances" including "fluctuating temperatures".
A "major non-conformance" notice warned the radiology department could lose its accreditation if the issues were not addressed.
Assessors said the main X-ray room opened directly into the waiting room, which could allow access by unauthorised people. They also pointed out that patients were all waiting together in a corridor, which could be inappropriate in some cases such as a gowned woman alongside men or a pregnant woman alongside someone who had miscarried.
Assessors also saw ward patients, including those in beds, waiting in the corridor, and CT patients waiting in a thoroughfare that was open to a view from the corridor after being cannulated (having a thin tube inserted for delivery of medication or dye).
Hauora Tairāwhiti's board last week approved the first two stages of work on its radiology department, at a cost of $317,590. The board was told the non-conformance notice would be resolved when the refurbishment is complete.
The upgrade includes changes to the radiology reception area, improvements to the high imaging reception to accommodate a cannulation room, two private bed waiting areas, and an improved patient waiting area.
Department showing its age
Hauora Tairāwhiti radiology services manager Debbie Cordiner said the issues raised by International Accreditation New Zealand were known to them and were symptomatic of a department designed about 40 years ago when imaging methods such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computerised tomography) did not exist.
Cordiner said space constraints, funding and the number of building changes required had caused the delay. "Devising a way to meet the requirements has taken time and extensive staff input to options."
Space was constrained in the department and at the hospital, as radiology and other hospital services had grown, and the refurbishment had been partly dependent on other departments moving out of radiology to free up space.
The funding for the radiology refurbishment was first identified for the 2019/20 year but did not proceed because costs of the final changes proposed were higher than anticipated, and Covid-19 delayed progress on such projects.
While the Hauora Tairāwhiti radiology department had been operating under a non-conformance notice since 2017, Cordiner noted radiology services had increased and service to the people of Tairawhiti had been "enhanced" in this time.
A new CT machine had been installed, and the department was meeting Ministry of Health targets.
A building consent was being sought, and subject to contractor availability, the project was likely to begin before Christmas.
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