Pennington, Reporter

A whistleblower
sparked an investigation by a top lawyer into Health New
Zealand’s medical scanning services.

The agnecy said
Michael Heron KC would lead an independent investigation
after a protected disclosure about radiology

An investigation three years ago found
patients had had suffered harm for years from poor
radiology tech at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, while RNZ
reported extensively on the Bay and other districts’
struggles with technology and radiology workforce

“We can confirm that the board has
commissioned an independent investigation into issues raised
in a protected disclosure in relation to radiology
services,” board chairperson Dr Levy and deputy board
chairperson Dr Andrew Connolly said in a

They would not confirm if the findings
would be made public.

“Relevant Health NZ staff are
being interviewed as part of the process. We can’t comment
further while this confidential investigation is

The senior doctors’ union, the Association
of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS), said several doctors
and nurses in Hawke’s Bay had been invited to talk to Heron
and it was offering them support.

The Protected
Disclosures law gave protection against
retaliation.

In a note to members that RNZ had seen
the ASMS said, “You may be aware that Michael Heron KC is
conducting an investigation, at the request of Health New
Zealand’s Board, following a protected disclosure concerning
radiology services in Hawkes Bay.

“He will be visiting
Hawkes Bay Hospital later this month.”

Association
executive director Sarah Dalton said, “We know that there is
an inquiry underway as a result of a protected
disclosure.

“And we understand in the Terms of
Reference is an undertaking from [HNZ chair] Lester Levy
that the inquiry will be made public but that hasn’t

“A number of clinicians – doctors and nurses
– have been invited to talk to Heron. We are offering advice
and support.”

Heron was a former Solicitor-General and
had led government inquiries into misuse of Census data, and
judicial behaviour, and culture reviews such as for the Law

The Protected Disclosures Act 2022 protected
an employee or former employee who in good faith reports
“serious wrongdoing that they believe on reasonable grounds
is, or has been, occurring in their workplace”, according to
Employment NZ.

Health New Zealand had for years
struggled with risks to patients and workers in various
districts from outdated and fragmented radiology technology
systems, stressing out staff who risked missing vital
scanning information and raising the risk of
misdiagnoses.

In 2024, documents sought by RNZ
revealed hospitals across the central North Island were struggling
to overhaul unstable medical scanning technology with
faults rising rapidly.

In 2023 HNZ released
a report it had tried to keep secret under
whistleblowing laws, that found patients had been harmed by
“unsafe” processes and inefficient radiology medical imaging
services at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

This had dragged on
for years despite red flags raised with management.
Consultant radiologist Dr Bryan Wolf triggered
the investigation as a whistleblower.

been underway for several years to upgrade the tech
nationwide.

RNZ in February sought an update on that
work in an Official Information Act request but a response
had been delayed by HNZ to

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Original source: nz