Hospital staff shortage

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32540, 25 February 1971, Page 12

Hospital staff shortage

Criticism of the staffing shortage in the Christchurch Hospital pharmacy was made by Mr J. S. Wilson, a member of the North Canterbury Hospital Board and vice-president of the Pharmacists’ Society of New Zealand, in a report to the board yesterday read by Mr C. F. Whitty in Mr Wilson’s absence.

Mr Wilson said that the outpatient clinic pharmacy was running without proper supervision; and the board was placing itself in an invidious position by employing unregistered pharmacists. The pharmacy was understaffed by the number of six registered pharmacists; this placed a great strain on the existing staff, which were doing a “tremendous” job. Mr Wilson said that a hospital board should have to provide pharmacy services for only internal patients. He recommended that the outpatient pharmacy be closed. He also recommended that retail pharmacists should be allowed to dispense all prescriptions instead of only hospitals being allowed to dispense a few restricted drugs, and he recommended that a new award for pharmacists be negotiated as soon as possible. The chairman of the board (Dr L. C. L. Averill) said there was a good deal of extraneous information in the report, but it would be re-

ferred to the institutions committee’s next meeting. He hoped that Mr Wilson would be there to discuss it.

Helicopter pad The works committee chairman (Mr L. A. Bennett) said that the Health Department had commented in detail on the board’s proposal for helicopter landing pads and had said that consideration could be given to providing landing areas in the grounds if there was sufficient space and if the relevant authorities agreed. In general, roof landing pads were not favoured by the department, said Mr Bennett. It was agreed that the matter should be discussed with the commanding officer at Wigram. Mr Whitty said he favoured a roof landing pad, and he wanted a “full-scale” investigation into the matter. He said that too often Government authorities stifled progress. The board was told that authority had been received to accept the tender of Gibson and O’Connor, Ltd, of Auckland, for the main contract for the new wards and clinical services block at Christchurch Hospital. For the mechanical, electrical and fire alarm subcontracts tenders had been let to Fisher and Paykel, Ltd,

the Group Electrical Company, Ltd, and Duplex Fire Alarms, Ltd, respectively. Before the contract could be signed priced schedules of quantities had to be checked; and the schedule for the building contract alone comprised more than 1500 pages, the board was told.

Sir Ludwig Gutman, a world authority on paraplegia and the former director of the Paraplegic Hospital at Stoke Mandeville, England, would be in Christchurch in April. Officers and members of the hospital spinal unit would meet him to discuss aspects of treatment of paraplegics, said Dr Averill.