Gore Health has passed its three-yearly standards audit with flying colours, with auditors highlighting the outstanding care given to patients.

The Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard audit is done by Health NZ and gives a hospital its ability to operate.

Gore Health clinical manager Glenda Maxwell said the in-patient ward and the maternity unit were the areas of the hospital audited this time.

“We’ve received some amazing feedback from our auditors which is great. We’re delighted, it’s wonderful news,” she said.

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The in-patient ward has 20 beds and has an average 85% occupancy rate, while the maternity unit was recognised for being the busiest primary birthing unit south of the Waitaki.

Maxwell said the audit was a lengthy process, involving policies and procedures being reviewed. This is followed by an on-site process where auditors follow patient journeys from admission to discharge, including interviews with patients and their whanau.

There was also a strong emphasis on interviewing staff as part of the audit, she said.

“It’s a robust process to show that we’re doing what we say we are doing, and that our community have confidence in the care that we’re providing.”

Gore Health received extremely positive feedback around the systems they had in place and that was reflected in feedback from patients, whanau and staff, she said.

The maternity unit, which has one birthing room and four post natal beds, was highly used and valued by the community, she said.

“That’s something for us to celebrate.”

Occupancy rates in the in-patient ward during winter had been very high with one of the worst influenza seasons on record, Maxwell said.

“There’s been some really sick people this winter.”

There had been a significant increase in emergency department presentations with 10,032 admissions in the past year, a jump from about 6000 about 18 months ago.

People from as far away as Invercargill, Kaitangata and Te Anau were presenting at the Gore emergency department, she said.

“The auditors can see the challenges we face as a small rural hospital based in Southland with a high occupancy in our ward and the high number of presentations at our emergency department.”

Maxwell said they had noticed a significant jump in the amount of public compliments to staff, recognising the quality care they were receiving, which was fantastic.