More to be treated as outpatients?

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 14

More to be treated as outpatients?

More Canterbury people may in future be treated as outpatients rather than being admitted to hospital. The Canterbury Hospital Board’s chief executive, Mr Ron Parker, told the board’s finance committee yesterday that the new services development plan might include alternatives to traditional methods of care. “Within the next 12 months we will be looking at whether traditional methods of care are the most apppropriate, or whether we should be moving staff and patients into the outpatient area,” Mr Parker said. “I am sure there will be some suggestions made that will question the traditional use of resources in the mental health area,” Mr Parker said. “I hope that sort of approach will be continued in other areas.” A board member, Professor Don Beaven, said he was worried by the amount of time people had to wait before they were treated at outpatient

clinics. "If people wait too long, the people slowly get worse. Then eventually they get admitted to hospital and that compounds our crowding problem,” he said. Professor Beaven asked if money could be diverted from the account for equipment to provide more specialist personnel in outpatient clinics. However, the board’s chairman, Mr Tom Grigg, said that if more staff were employed more equipment would be needed. The only result would be that the budget for supplies would be overspent by even more than at present The budget for supplies and expenses has been overspent about $1 million so far this year. The salaries and wages account has been underspent about the same amount.

Most of the savings in wages and salaries are the result of the nursing shortage. More nurses have since been employed by the hospital board.