From RNZ · RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa · · 1m 30s
Mother heartbroken as toddler's cancer treatment delayed
Starship Hospital staff shortages delay toddler's cancer treatment.
In brief
Starship Hospital staff shortages delay toddler's cancer treatment. Tanya Lapu'aho's two-and-a-half-year-old son's cancer treatment was delayed for up to seven days due to nursing staff shortages at Starship Hospital. Originally reported by RNZ.
Toddler diagnosed with high-risk cancer
Tanya Lapu'aho's two-and-a-half-year-old son Killian was diagnosed in January with high-risk neuroblastoma.
Cancer treatment delayed for seven days
Some chemotherapy and bone marrow treatments have been delayed at Starship Hospital for up to seven days due to staff shortages.
Second bone marrow transplant delayed
Lapu'aho said her son's second bone marrow transplant was delayed at least a week because there were not enough specialist nurses.
Nursing staff overwhelmed
Lapu'aho said babies were bearing the brunt of delays as nursing staff were overwhelmed with patient care.
Pain relief delays
On average, nurses took 20 minutes to respond to pain relief calls, causing significant distress for the child.
Health minister claims vacancies filled
Health Minister Simeon Brown insisted all eight vacant paediatric haematology/oncology roles had been filled or recruited for.
Health NZ timeline for staffing
Health NZ confirmed it would take three months before the ward was fully staffed, with seven nurses starting over that period.
Nurses Organisation response
Nurses Organisation Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said the situation was not a surprise and better workforce planning was needed.
Staffing crisis impact
Lapu'aho said staff were overworked and under-resourced, with a hiring freeze reported by a charge nurse.
What it means
Tanya Lapu'aho's two-and-a-half-year-old son's cancer treatment was delayed for up to seven days due to nursing staff shortages at Starship Hospital.
