Six weeks and waiting: Ill woman still waiting for support

Saturday, 3 February 2024

It has been six weeks since a man was promised care for his ill wife, and he is still waiting.

Warwick Thompson and his wife Judy, both 83, have been together for 59 years and “it's a pleasure and a privilege to still be caring for her”, he said.

The Auckland couple had been frequent visitors to Wanaka over the years, and moved to the town in September so Judy, who has Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s dementia, could have a better quality of life.

Her need for care, via casual carers had increased over the last four years, but that need escalated after she fell and suffered a critical fracture of her pelvis last year.

She was in Dunedin Hospital for 74 days, but before she was discharged medical staff said she was entitled to a further 21 hours of care a week.

That medical assessment took a holistic approach, as “they're very much aware of the drain that it places on you as a person, on your family and everybody around you”.

It was a relief for Thompson, who planned to use those three hour a day to be able to complete jobs around their home, including cooking.

HealthCare NZ sent a Queenstown-based needs assessor, who confirmed what two other hospitals had previously told Thompson, that his wife needed “hospital level care”.

A week later a HealthCare NZ carer arrived, but after learning what care was required, left, stating he was not qualified.

Three days later, the same carer returned saying he was to meet a nurse from HealthCare NZ for training purposes. That surprised Thompson who had not been notified, nor had given consent for his wife to be used for such ‘training’ purposes.

Despite those concerns the nurse failed to show, with HealthCare NZ promising it would sort the matter out. That included providing a qualified carer, and phone Thompson the next day with an update.

“He did not call me, the carer didn’t show, and I’ve never heard from Healthcare NZ again . . . despite several follow-ups.”

It has been over six weeks since is wife was discharged and HealthCare NZ was yet to provide a carer, or at the very least, give him any update on what was happening.

Thompson said that had added to the stress he had been under over the last three months

He was not aware if HealthCare NZ were being paid for a service they were simply not fulfilling, nor was he any wiser about the service they planned to provide.

Approached for comment about his case, a New Zealand Health Group spokesperson said HealthCare NZ was dedicated to providing all of their clients, many of whom have highly complex care requirements, “the right level of care to help them recover and live well in their own homes”.

“In this case, the referral information specified the client required in-home care from a support worker and specialised care from a registered nurse.

HealthCare NZ was funded to provide our client with day-to-day in-home support including personal cares and assistance with household management.

“We have reached out to the client and their whānau to offer our assistance in arranging the specialised care they require and are currently working with the referrer to develop a tailored in-home care package.”

HealthCare NZ, the country’s largest provider of in-home care and support, was “concerned that our current fragmented approach to funding service delivery. results in people missing out on the care they need”.

“New Zealand needs a nationally consistent and coordinated healthcare policy model that prioritises equitable access to services.”