An 81-year-old man being treated for pneumonia was placed in a hospital's visitor room without proper medical equipment or a working call bell, his family says.
Concerns have already been raised about overcrowding at North Shore Hospital in Auckland.
Sarah* told 1News her father was admitted to the hospital last week and was placed in a family room intended for visitors in Ward 10.
She said the room, which contained a table, sofa and a TV, had no oxygen or suction equipment, and not enough electrical outlets to power his hospital bed and IV pumps simultaneously.
The room also did not contain a working call bell. Instead, Sarah said her father was given a small silver bell — similar to one found at a hotel reception desk — which could not be heard outside the room.
"I thought the room was just a short term thing," Sarah told 1News. "Then I realised 'No, this is his room. This is where he's going to be left at night.'"
Sarah said her father was confused and unsteady due to his illness, and was struggling to reach the toilet without assistance. On one occasion, he was unable to get help from staff in time and was left needing to change himself.
His condition later deteriorated with vomiting, shaking and a rising temperature, prompting Sarah to raise concerns with nursing staff.
Her father was then moved into a standard hospital room.
“I feel really strongly that in hospital at the moment you need to have someone to advocate for you,” she said.
Sarah, who has a nursing background, said she understood the ongoing pressures facing hospital staff but believed the room was unsuitable for patients requiring high levels of care.
She said staff at North Shore Hospital appeared to share her concerns, but had limited solutions due to a high volume of patients.
"I don't think they're getting much of a choice either."
Sarah said she had continued to see other patients occupying the room during visits to her father — often up to three at a time.
"If they're going to use that room, I'd like to see equipment in there and ways that the person can raise a concern," she said. "I really worry that someone could fall over."
'Alternative spaces' used during high demand
Health New Zealand confirmed to 1News it received a complaint relating to Sarah’s father’s care on October 2 and had since been in contact with the family.
It declined to comment on the details while the complaint process was ongoing.
Health New Zealand Waitematā group director of operations Brad Healey said North Shore Hospital was among many hospitals nationwide experiencing periods of high demand.
"In these situations, a range of measures may be used to ensure patients continue to receive timely care, including the temporary use of alternative spaces," Healey said.
"Patient safety remains our top priority, and any area used for patient care must be suitable for that purpose and supported by the appropriate clinical oversight."
Healey said work was continuing to improve patient flow, increase capacity and support staff.
'Patients are right to expect better'
Concerns about patients being treated in spaces not intended for hospital care at North Shore Hospital have been raised previously.
In August, TVNZ reporter Gill Higgins detailed her own three-week stay at the hospital, describing exhausted staff, outdated facilities and communication problems.
Higgins also revealed she had spent two nights in a visitors' lounge because no ward space was available.
At the time, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation declared a state of emergency over unsafe staffing levels in the hospital's emergency department.
Responding to Higgins' account at the time, Health NZ northern region executive director Andrew Brant acknowledged the pressures facing patients and staff.
"Patients should not have to navigate long waits, stretched services or systems that do not connect smoothly while they are unwell," he wrote.
He said hospitals were experiencing some of the highest levels of demand in recent years, with Waitematā emergency department presentations reaching a record 13,869 in July.
Health NZ had begun recruiting more than 50 additional full-time equivalent nursing positions across North Shore and Waitākere hospitals, alongside measures to improve patient flow and reduce delays.
"Patients are right to expect better and we're working to deliver it," Brant said.
*A pseudonym has been used to protect the woman and the patient's identity.
SHARE ME