A public apology has been issued to the family of a baby who died following inadequate care at Ōamaru Hospital.

In August this year, the Health and Disability Commission published a report which found a number of shortcomings in the care provided at the hospital in 2019, to a 13-month-old baby critically ill with meningococcal disease.

The failings included processes around the care provided, hospital oversights, and the state and provision of equipment needed, and also in respect to the treatment delivered by a doctor and two nurses.

Waitaki District Health Services (WDHS) has now met with and unreservedly apologised to the family involved, in respect to the treatment provided to their baby at Oamaru Hospital, it said in a statement released on Wednesday (November 15).

WDHS chief executive Keith Marshall said their hearts go out to the parents and wider family for the distress caused.

“This is a truly awful situation for which we offer our sincere condolences”, he said.

Oamaru Hospital also offered a public apology to the family for the flaws both in care provided to their baby, and the lack of support provided to them following the tragedy.

“The baby’s illness was clearly an extremely serious one with a high mortality, as was identified in the HDC report. 

“As an organisation we are heartbroken that more should have been done and the HDC report made very clear what the shortcomings at Oamaru Hospital were,” Keith said.

Waitaki District Health Services fully accepts the HDC’s findings. 

Since the incident, Oamaru Hospital has made numerous changes to its clinical practices and processes and has put in place all of the commission’s recommendations.

“For our part, WDHSL was also heartened by the HDC’s further recommendation to Te Whatu Ora to investigate the establishment of a National Transfer Desk around urgent care matters; this would make a big difference for patient care in rural hospitals, and elsewhere, and would likely have had an impact in this tragic situation also.”

In August, the parents of the baby told deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell the care their child received felt like "swiss cheese", where "there were so many holes that we fell through every single one”, the New Zealand Herald had reported.

"Our lives have been completely shattered with the loss of our son and we will forever live with the pain of knowing that he suffered a tremendous amount more than what he needed to," the child's parents said.