Audit Praises Mary Potter Hospice

Audit Praises Mary Potter Hospice

Capital Coast DHB’s independent auditors have praised Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice saying that its clinical services were operating at a very high standard.

The auditors wrote: “The Hospice is an asset to the people it serves ... the current service delivery model and skills and experience of the staff at Mary Potter Hospice reflect a high functioning specialist palliative care service.”

The audit was conducted by Technical Advisory Services; auditors contracted by central region District Health Boards to evaluate health services. The audit was conducted in March 2010. The auditors reviewed documentation and interviewed staff, patients and families.

The audit team also commented very positively on the Hospice’s cohesive multidisciplinary teams of nurses, doctors, social workers and counsellors, the quality of its information systems, and its close connection to the community.
The auditors described its governance and financial systems as “robust” and noted that the Hospice was a leader in research and development of palliative care in New Zealand.

“We are very pleased with the audit panel’s conclusions,” says Ria Earp, chief executive. “This result reflects the hard work and skills of our staff and Board of Trustees over the years, and the enormous contribution made to the Hospice by the volunteers from the community. I think Wellingtonians can be proud of their hospice and the commitment of its staff and volunteers to offering a quality service to the Wellington community.

“It is a good report and there are a few areas the audit has identified where we can do better such as improving our human resources documentation, internal auditing, and building on our quality programme. We are currently working on these issues.

“While Mary Potter Hospice has been performing well it faces some real challenges in the future in order to maintain this high standard of service. New Zealand’s population is aging and the demand for hospice services is steadily growing. We still rely on, and will continue to seek, the goodwill and financial support of the Wellington community to keep our services free to patients and their families.”

ENDS

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