The overdue OIA
Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb
I’m actually on a break, but stupidly checked my emails.
The email, from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, arrived at 8.42am on Wednesday. I was eating porridge, with homegrown rhubarb. It was delicious, but the email made me angry.
It made me angry because I’ve been waiting months for it, due to our broken OIA system, and it arrived when I was on a break. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand replied with:
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Te Whatu Ora may proactively release a copy of this response on our website. All requester data, including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release.
Gee. Thanks.
So not wanting it to be picked up by others elsewhere, I’m letting you have first look.
But firstly, this is the story I wrote in July last year, Student nurses asked to help out amid staffing shortages at Dunedin Hospital:
“Dunedin Hospital has called on nursing students to help out as the hospital battles with dire staff shortages.
Te Whatu Ora Southern – the former district health board – sent an email to Otago Polytechnic students on Friday saying local hospitals were “under immense pressure currently and are asking for urgent help from you as student nurses”.
Students were asked to do patient-watch work, receiving a $200 supermarket voucher per shift.”
I interviewed a couple of students, and saw the value of it, students get valuable experience and get some vouchers:
“Due to the urgent need for support staff there was limited time for Te Whatu Ora Southern to ensure the students were added to the payroll system, and so students were offered grocery vouchers to the value of $200 per shift.”
Everyone wins, right.
I was interested to see how widespread this was, and filed and OIA asking:
“I'm writing a story about local Otago polytechnic nursing students helping out (in) Dunedin Hospital on Friday-Sunday due to chronic nurse shortages. I'm looking to widen that story, are you able to say how common this is, ie student nurses called in to help at hospitals around the country? If possible are you able to indicate which hospitals?
I would like to know the number of non-registered nurses, ie students/carers, called in to work shifts at each of the country's hospitals during 2022. Are you able to say how many shifts those people worked, and how many were paid vouchers/a wage.”
On 29 November 2022, Te Whatu Ora provided a partial response to my request - four months after I made it, and well past the ‘20 working days’ allowed.
They needed more time, I accepted that. After all, the healthcare reforms coupled with the pandemic response left those in charge facing bigger issues.
And then I largely forgot about it until I was on a break in Christchurch eating porridge with homegrown rhubarb. Did I mention it was delicious?
Anyway, here is the PDF in full:
Enjoy.
Also, pleased to report a podcast I featured in an earlier newsletter, Klooghless - The Long CON has been nominated at this year’s True Crime Awards in London.
I got this from podcaster Sarah Ferris, a former Dunedinite:
“It is up against BBC productions in the shortlist (bar one other non BBC nominee) so pretty sure won't get over the line against BBC’s production budget and might but nice to have the voices of the victims amplified as always.”
Well done. If you haven’t had a listen, please tune in. It was surprising how many voices I recognised at having been ripped off by Barry Kloogh, who will be eligible for parole in a few years…
I’ve expressed before the information void for the new Dunedin Hospital, but this appears to be changing. There was a release sent earlier this week showing some updates on the project.
Work on the Outpatient Building site is moving along, with pile cap reinforcing and progressive concrete pours undertaken this week.
Monique Fouwler, Director – Delivery, Infrastructure and Investment, Te Whatu Ora, said these interlinked foundation beams rest on piles driven deep into the ground and provide a stable base for the multi-story building, as the building is situated on the old foreshore.
“The pile caps sit on top of each of the 78 piles and are essentially thick concrete mats which distribute the weight of the building across the foundations,” said Fouwler.
“The first of the structural steelwork is scheduled to be installed in June. Standing at 26 metres tall and intended to stand at full height in one go, the columns will be impressive, and the height of the finished building will be visible for everyone to see.”
To lift these large steel columns, a bigger crane is required. Components of the 280-tonne crawler crane have been delivered to site for assembly and the public can expect to see this operating following the Easter break. It will be in operation for approximately one year. The smaller 180T crane has already been broken down and will leave site shortly.
“Offsite, the key focus of the team is turning the construction drawings into fabrication drawings, or ‘shop drawings’. From these, manufacturers make the individual components offsite – such as the beams and the windows.”
On the Inpatient Building site, excavation for the foundations and piles has started. This involves removal of the final elements of the most recently demolished buildings. During the excavation process, a watchful eye is kept out for matters associated with archaeology and evidence of historical site use.
This excavation process will continue for the rest of the year. The exact duration is dependent upon several variables, such as thickness of concrete, soil types, and archaeological discovery.
“The excavation for the Inpatient building will be deeper than the Outpatients patients to accommodate seismic isolation bearings and piling for the building will get started at the beginning of 2024,” Fouwler said.
The Outpatient Building expected completion date is 2025, with the Inpatient Building expected to be completed in 2029.
Here is Tweet of the Week:
https://twitter.com/LiamMcIlvanney/status/1645683945391144962
I found this neat wee place for sale, a former train carriage! My late grandfather did something like this in Riverton. The original tiny houses.
And as I’m in Christchurch, here is one of my favourite videos from a Garden City band:
I better dash, have a great week.