Gisborne Hospital Report - Health and Disability Commissioner

Gisborne Hospital 1999 – 2000
Incident Reporting and Complaints Procedure
6.19 In my opinion, patients of Gisborne Hospital could not be assured that
incidents that impacted, or had the potential to impact, on their safety and the
quality of their care would be reported and followed up. Where individual
providers, such as nurses, filled out incident reports, THL and its managers did
not “co-operate” by taking appropriate action and giving feedback to the
reporter. The quality and continuity of care for patients at Gisborne Hospital
was potentially compromised by the failure to have an effective incident
reporting system that staff could have confidence in.
6.20 In my opinion, by its failure to have in place an effective incident reporting
system at Gisborne Hospital, Tairawhiti Healthcare Ltd breached Right 4(5) of
the Code.
Complaints procedure
6.21 Right 10(6)(b) of the Code requires an organisational provider to have a
complaints procedure that ensures that the consumer is informed of any
relevant internal and external complaints procedures.
6.22 In my opinion, the complaints procedure at THL did not comply with the
requirements of Right 10(6)(b) of the Code. The policy does not ensure that
consumers are informed of any relevant internal and external complaints
procedures, including the availability of Health and Disability Services
Consumer Advocates and the Health and Disability Commissioner. In this
respect I find that Tairawhiti Healthcare Ltd breached Right 10(6)(b) of the
Code.
6.23 In light of the evidence submitted by consumers to my investigation team, I
am left in doubt whether Tairawhiti Healthcare Ltd also breached Right 10(3)
of the Code by failing to “facilitate fair, simple, speedy and efficient resolution
of complaints”. I am also sceptical about whether Tairawhiti Healthcare Ltd
was complying with its duty under Right 10(8) to inform consumers “as soon
as practicable” after deciding whether it accepted that a complaint was
justified, of “(a) the reasonable for the decision; (b) any action the provider
proposed[d] to take; that and (c) any appeal procedure …”. However, I make
no specific findings in relation to these issues.
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