Malcolm Mulholland: Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair on the water in Auckland City Hospital being shut off

Patients in Auckland City Hospital's main building are without hot water.

An issue with pipes emerged yesterday afternoon - and will take up to three days to fix. 

Te Whatu Ora says it has contingency plans ensuring clinical care continues.  

Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair Malcolm Mulholland says the maternity ward's in that building. 

"They're going to have to be transported away from the maternity ward to another part of Auckland Hospital in order to have a shower - that's certainly not ideal for mothers who have just given birth."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Relay and bread Rich. The main building at Auckland Hospital
has no running hot water. Yes, it's a problem and
it's something to do with the pipes. It may take
seventy two hours to fix this problem. Health New Zealand
says there are mitigator mitigations in place to ensure the
hospital's usual clinical care will continue, et cetera. Malcolm Mulholland's
Chair of Patient Voice Alt, he's with me tonight, Malcolm,

(00:21):
good evening. Okay, Roan, what have you heard about this?
What's going on here? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
So I heard that one of the water pipes burst
yesterday and that it could take up to seventy two
hours to rectify the situation. But unfortunately it's affecting Building
thirty two. And those who are familiar with Auckland Hospital
would know that's the main building in New Zealand's biggest
hospital where most of not all, patients are housed in

(00:49):
the wards.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
So and this is the maternity ward that's affected, right.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
So yeah, amongst others, amongst others. So it's maternity wards.
Its most people who are receiving care in the wards
who are affected by this, whether it be cardiovascular or renal,
you name it they're affected, right.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Is there a I mean, can can they shower like
your new mums have just had babies? Do you know
what's going on there? Or are they Can they go
somewhere else?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yes, they're going to have to be transported away from
the maternity ward to another part of Auckland Hospital in
order for them to have a share. That's certainly not
ideal for mothers who have just given birth. Keeping in
mind some would have had suffered a traumatic birth and
so their bodies will be sore, and transporting them around

(01:44):
certainly isn't the recommended standard of care, as well as
that they've got on top of that, whether or not
they take their new born with them, because some of
course will require breastfeeding.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Goodness mate, thank you Malcolm. Malcolm a holand patient voice
alter share on the main building an Auckland hospital with
no running water. I mean it's not ideal, is that
when you don't have pipes that work in our hospitals
to get people hot water, to have a shower, or
presumably to sterilize equipment. I mean, obviously Health News Inland
tested I've got things under control, so I guess you

(02:16):
could have believed that don't you until you know otherwise.
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