16 June 2025
Dr AO
By email:
[FYI request #31139 email]
Ref:
SBOIA25-741
Dear Dr AO
Transfer of your request for information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) on 28 May 2025
to the Minister of Health, Hon Simeon Brown. You requested:
“1/ Resignations - Middlemore Emergency Department Please provide the total
number of staff resignations from the Emergency Department at Middlemore Hospital
between 1 May 2025 and 31 May 2025, broken down by staff group:
- RMOs
- SMOs (medical staff)
- Nurses
- Al ied health professionals
- Management and administrative staff
2/ Exit Interview Questions - May 2025
Please provide the following information for any staff who resigned from the
Emergency Department at Middlemore Hospital during the month of May 2025:
- A copy of the exit interview template or question set used
- Any guidance documents or internal policies related to the conduct of exit interviews
or feedback collection
- A summary or copies of the exit interview feedback/responses received during this
period (with any personal identifiers redacted)
- Any documented actions, decisions, or plans developed in response to the
feedback received from these resignations
3/ NZS 8134:2021 Certification Audit - Middlemore Emergency Department Please
provide the most recent NZS 8134:2021 certification audit report for Middlemore
Emergency Department, including:
- A list of all corrective actions identified
- Documentation confirming the implementation or independent verification of these
corrective actions
- Copies of any internal or external correspondence (including emails, memos,
reports, or meeting notes) regarding the identified corrective actions and their
implementation, discussion, or follow-up
4/ May 2025 - Workforce Pressures
For the period 1–31 May 2025, please provide the following information specific to
the Emergency Department at Middlemore Hospital:
- Total number of sick leave days taken across all staff roles
- Total cost of cross-cover arrangements, including instances where staff were asked
to cover unplanned absences
- Total cost of additional duties, such as overtime, internal locums, or use of
casual/agency staff to maintain safe service levels
5/ Ministerial Correspondence - Middlemore Emergency Department (May 2025)
Please provide copies of all correspondence (including emails, memos, briefings, and
letters) read by or sent to you, Minister Simeon Brown, from Te Whatu Ora, between
1 May 2025 and 31 May 2025, relating to the Emergency Department at Middlemore
Hospital. This request is made to your office as the Minister of Health and must not
be transferred to Health New Zealand. The information sought pertains specifically to
ministerial awareness and communications
6/ Patient Flow Metrics - Corridor and Ambulance Care (May 2025) For the period 1–
31 May 2025, please provide the following data for the Emergency Department at
Middlemore Hospital:
- The number of patients seen in corridors, hallways, or other non-designated
treatment spaces
- The number of patients diverted or referred to community urgent care clinics due to
capacity or resource constraints
- The number of ambulances redirected to other hospitals due to ED overcapacity,
and the names of the receiving hospitals where applicable”
The information you have requested in parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 of your request is more closely
connected with the functions of Health New Zealand. Therefore, this of ice has decided to
transfer these parts of your request to Health NZ under section 14(b)(i ) of the Act. You can
expect a response from Health NZ in due course. For clarity, this office wil be providing a
response to part 5 of your request.
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Reef Stewart
Ministerial Advisor
