A Southland District Health Board committee yesterday failed to approve extra staff for Lakes District Hospital despite being told patients and staff are at risk because of increased demand for services.
Board chairman and committee member Paul Menzies said the committee could not come to a decision because it was "stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea".
"It is difficult for us. We want to support the community and staff but we've got no money."
A report presented to the hospital advisory committee recommended extra staff for Lakes District Hospital (LDH) to reduce the risk to patients and staff.
Mr Menzies said the extra staff would not solve the problem of people going to hospital when they could have been treated by a GP.
The report says more than 66% of cases at the hospital were non-urgent and could be managed by primary care providers.
Mr Menzies said the committee could not adopt the recommendation to hire more staff because the financial consequences were too high - it would cost at least $300,000.
The report, including several options, will be put to a full board meeting today.
The additional staff proposed would be employed as a short-term solution until June 2010 while an alternative "model of care" was developed.
The report says the number of patients at the hospital's assessment and stabilisation service had grown from 1577 in 2002-03 to 5813 last year and was expected to exceed 7000 this year.
"The staff at LDH report that the volume and complexity of work is creating clinical risk for the patients and potential health and safety risks for the staff," it says.
It says the board should provide an extra nurse and two doctors, to be on duty seven days a week during peak times.
The hospital has six doctors at present.
The two extra doctors would allow for a second doctor to be on duty during peak times and cover leave.
The report says the cost would blow out the board's budget but would accommodate higher patient numbers.
While the temporary additional staff were working, the health board would work with stakeholders, staff and GPs to develop a new "model of care" proposal for Queenstown.
Cranleigh Health has been commissioned by Otago and Southland health boards to provide a hospital capacity review.
The report said cost escalations at Lakes District Health were "clearly unsustainable."
It posted a $3.6 million deficit last year and is forecasting a $2.8 million loss this year.
Lakes District Hospital
Options for reducing risk to patients and staff:
- Close the hospital from 8pm to 8am, with only GP referral and ambulance access.
- Decrease the number of inpatient beds from 10 to five.
- Create a GP service at the hospital, similar to Dunstan Hospital's.
- Contract GPs to run the hospital.
- Increase staffing.
