What does this mean for our patients?
People in Wairarapa presenting with acute orthopaedic needs will have to travel for surgery for the time being. This is an interim solution that will be regularly reviewed.
We know our community deserves and expects the right care in the right place at the right time, and as close to home as possible, and that is continually at the centre of our decision making. However the clinical safety of staff and patients is always our number one priority.
What is acute orthopaedic care?
Acute care is where people are admitted directly, after a trauma injury.
Acute arranged care is where trauma has occurred requiring surgery, and the patient is admitted within seven days of initial assessment.
Planned care is where people are admitted from a waitlist, with their surgery booked ahead.
Orthopaedic surgery is the branch of surgery concerned with the musculoskeletal system – bones, cartilage, tendons, connective tissue and joints. Orthopaedic surgeons generally treat trauma (from injury and accident), degeneration and birth defects.
Why can’t we provide an acute orthopaedic service locally now?
The temporary changes to the orthopaedic service have come about due to a constrained workforce.
Wairarapa’s orthopaedic service is designed to be provided by four resident surgeons with some locum cover, rostered to provide 24/7 care. Currently only three surgeons are rostered, one of whom has leave planned from July, which leaves the hospital short of specialists to deliver a safe service.
Unfortunately this means that, for a time, acute surgical care has to be provided elsewhere.
How is this going to impact Wairarapa patients?
The orthopaedic service makes up approximately 25% of Wairarapa’s surgical throughput, with over 900 orthopaedic surgeries delivered locally each year. Around 400 of those are acute cases.
We know the impact of having to travel for acute care will be significant for our Wairarapa patients and we will be doing all we can to make things as seamless as possible, including working on travel options for patients that will be going out of the region for acute orthopaedic care, and ensuring that our ambulance service and ED teams are well informed and able to get to people to the right place to access care.
We will be in touch with our scheduled patients that are expecting local orthopaedic care, to clarify the situation and avoid any confusion about their care plan.
Why can’t we employ more surgeons?
Wairarapa DHB’s recruitment efforts have been extensive, but unsuccessful.
To date, Wairarapa DHB has been unable to secure a New Zealand trained orthopaedic surgeon. Applicants are predominantly overseas surgeons whose registrations are subject to the approval of the Medical Council. This is a complex process and so far the DHB has been unable to appoint any overseas applicants in this regard.
A message from Chief Executive, Dale Oliff
We are very grateful to CCDHB, HVDHB and MCDHB for their willingness and their agility in supporting us and our Wairarapa community.
We champion the best care for our region within the clinical constraints we have and we always seek the best solution for our population.
Unfortunately, for now, in order to provide the best care we need to ask our people to travel out of the region for treatment if they have an injury that requires acute orthopaedic surgery.
We have long recognized the opportunities in the health sector for increased regional collaboration, and this situation illustrates the advantages for our service in having hospitals close by that can provide our patients quality care.
Any concerns or questions can be addressed to our Communications Manager, Anna Cardno
anna.cardno@wairrapa.dhb.org.nz
