Ruth Hill

Nurses have been accused of failing to provide 'life preserving services' but the union says a plan for dedicated on-call staff to cover gaps during strike action was rejected. Audio

Health NZ data reveals it was taking up to 30 weeks to approve recruitment for frontline vacancies at hospitals in the Wellington region.

Mental health and public health nurses, allied health workers and policy staff will strike from 1pm to 5pm.

Data obtained under the Official Information Act shows 219 recruitment requests took more than two months to be approved, 91 waited more than 20 weeks, and 45 roles applied for in March were still…

Nurses nationwide are refusing to work extra shifts or fill roster gaps, forcing hospital managers to cancel planned care and reduce ward beds. Audio

As cervical screening picks up pace toward an 80 percent coverage target, services to further examine cases alerted in the screening tests are not able to keep up, clinical experts say. Audio

Pharmacists reported hundreds problems with prescriptions in just a week. Audio

The social media giant told Blake Forbes he breached its "community standards" but he suspects he was targeted for activism. Audio

Two large corporate healthcare providers have received approval from Health NZ to set up their own primary health organisations.

This "transitional access" has been criticised by opposition politicians as "a subsidy for private insurers".

The study found that of the 10 most extensively prescribed pharmaceuticals, none could be manufactured locally.

Scientists do not know what the next pandemic will be - or when it will hit - but they are certain about one thing: it is coming.

The programme, which launched in August, is a key part of the government's response to the whooping cough epidemic, which has hit 3200 cases in the last year and caused one death.

Low levels of immunity against measles among women of child-bearing age are putting babies at risk, warns one public health expert.

A nurse said it was an anxious time for many families, especially those with babies under one who were too young to be vaccinated.

Health New Zealand says the outbreak has not yet reached the point where babies under the age of one need to be immunised early but worried parents feel it should be free. Audio

The Mental Health Foundation says one in four young people are struggling with their mental health, and one in five are finding it difficult to get support.

Rural Support Trust says fatigue is setting in for storm-hit farmers still relying on generators, as efforts shift from animal welfare to human well-being.

An infectious diseases expert says each case can infect between 15 and 18 other people, making it far more contagious than Covid or the flu.

Told by a doctor to call 111, a seriously ill man found his own lift after being told no ambulances were available, then found a full ED with intubated patients in triage areas and beds gridlocked… Audio

The number has jumped, since Whakatāne Hospital lost its obstetric services in January.

Patients are worried about rise of corporate-owned GP clinics, but they say judge us 'on the outcomes'.

There were audible cries of disbelief during Simeon Brown's speech to senior doctors today. Audio

More than 200 women made the journey in the past year - a third of them emergency transfers - amid a shortage of obstetricians. Audio

An industry group says there's a risk of some communities will lose doctors unless more is done to improve their financial viability. Audio