Birthing shift may be best - Borrows | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

The prospect of having to travel to another centre for some births may upset some people but Whanganui MP Chester Borrows says it is the obvious and safest option if all other avenues have been explored.

Mr Borrows' comments came on the eve of a Whanganui District Health Board meeting today when board members will get their first chance to debate a proposal which recommends some maternity services be picked up by Palmerston North Hospital.

The regional women's health service plan, encompassing both Whanganui and MidCentral district health boards, is a comprehensive effort to shore up some major weaknesses in maternity services.

Both hospitals, particularly Wanganui, are struggling to fill specialist clinical positions, especially in obstetrics and gynaecology. The review team argues that all avenues have been explored and the only viable alternative is to transfer some Wanganui mothers to Palmerston North when their birthing is considered to be at risk.

If the proposal is signed off, it is estimated nearly half the 800 births in Wanganui each year will happen in Palmerston North.

Mr Borrows said the major concern centred on the certainty of service and the safety of mothers and babies.

Mr Borrows said for the past 10 years the service had been at risk and this was despite those on the board working very hard to bring about change.

"All the obvious solutions have been tried and found to be not workable," he said.

He said women may not like the prospect of going to Palmerston North for some specialist care "but it is probably the safest place for them to be in some circumstances".

"The inconsistency of service in Wanganui gives no certainty and is a threat to patient safety," Mr Borrows said.

Karen Guilliland, chief executive of the NZ College of Midwives, told the Chronicle said it was too early for her to speak of likely effects on the midwifery service in Wanganui.

"But it's important both DHBs make sure a strong infrastructure is in place before any patient transfers are planned. And they must ensure any transfers are sound, solid and reliable every time," Ms Guilliland said.

She said estimates that about half the city's births would have to transfer to Palmerston North appeared pretty high but it probably reflected the extent of the problem facing the service in Wanganui.

"What's needed is consensus solutions and consultation and more consultation, and that would have to involve the midwives.

"I know they have a very good midwifery service in Wanganui, both at the hospital and provided by the lead maternity carers, and they should all be extremely proud of what they continue to achieve in very trying circumstances," Ms Guilliland said.

Meanwhile, Ian Powell, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said the root cause of Wanganui's problem was the widening salary gap between New Zealand and Australia.

"Since 2006, when salaries for specialists in Australian public hospitals were significantly increased in response to severe shortages and increased danger to patients, NZ public hospitals have suffered from a specialist workforce crisis.

"This crisis is greater in some parts of the health system than others, such as maternity services in smaller public hospitals.

"There was a time when Wanganui could employ the obstetricians and gynaecologists they needed but the work force crisis has changed all this. Instead they have had to rely on the less reliable and more expensive system of locum specialists," Mr Powell said.

He said the proposal before Whanganui and MidCentral health boards was likely to be safer for patients than the current arrangement. "But it should not be used to fudge the fact that it is the result of a hospital specialist work force crisis that our health bosses are twiddling their thumbs over and in a state of crisis denial."

The Labour Party also weighed into the debate, saying Wanganui people needed a guarantee from the Government that the proposal was about safety and not about saving money.