A 46-year-old woman suffered a brain injury and permanent memory loss after being given excessive opioids at Middlemore Hospital during a busy night in 2021.
The Health and Disability Commissioner found Health NZ Counties Manukau failed to ensure adequate staffing, monitoring, and protocols, despite the patient’s complex medical history and multiple sedating medications.
Although opioid doses were within recommended limits, the woman was not properly observed or reassessed as her pain persisted. The hospital has since apologised and introduced new opioid protocols, monitoring improvements, and clearer escalation procedures.
One thing not in short supply
Apologies
Makes it all go away
Not
Yes that and excuses. The real problem is overworked staff and underfunded healthcare. That’s on National and Labour as far as I’m concerned.
M O H of wealth not Health.
Unless I see evidence otherwise, I am chalking this up to inadequate staffing. If one person has to keep the equivalent of three people’s balls juggled in the air all the time, one of them is bound to get dropped.
Hospitals continue to be flooded with the vax injured and consequently under overwhelming pressure. The big elephant in the room that continues to be downplayed by legacy media. More astounding is the fact that most of the dumbed down population still can’t see it.
Interestingly the actual opioid is not stated here. I wonder is it fentanyl, ocycontin or even oxymorphone?
We had issues at Middlemore prior and so did our neighbours this year with Middlemore’s insisted use of these hallucinationary pain-killer drugs. They prescibed even against patient wishes Oxycontin (oxycodone) and at one time oxymorphone.
Overseas oxymorohone was discontinued in 2017. And even this year $US 7.3 billion lawsuit resulted in the pay out from, and bankruptcy of the oxycontin makers.
Even after the lawsuit Middlemore continues to prescribe Oxycontin and at one time Oxymorphone.
Our experience was not due to overstaffing but policy in prescriptions and doctors insisted reliance on such medications.
(Upon research after writing above opinion found out that poor lady was given both fentanyl and oxycontin by Middlemore.)