1990's

©Copyright
Published: 15/05/2008

Chronology of Events

April 1990
6 weeks prior to its closure, St Helen's has had a total of 105,514 mothers give birth at the hospital.

June 1990
The Auckland Maternity Services Information System (AMSIS), a computerised patient record system is introduced. This system makes it possible to audit the clinical activities at National Women's

10-11 June 1990
St Helen's maternity and newborn services transfer to National Women's. The last birth at St Helen's is on June 10^th.

12 June 1990
St Helen's Hospital is closed following a formal closing ceremony 84 years after the first Auckland St Helen's Hospital opened. Ann Nightingale is the Matron at the time.

1990
Staff working in the National Women's Delivery Unit raise funds from garage sales and raffles to develop the memorial garden outside the unit. The garden is developed as a memorial to the closure of St Helen's and to provide a place for the summer house to be relocated from St Helen's Hospital to National Women's. The summer house had been originally built for women having babies at St Helen's and their relatives to use in 1981 as part of the St Helen's Hospital 75^th birthday celebrations.

24 July 1991
The Epsom Day Unit moves to the Greenlane Hospital site. A tapu lifting ceremony was held at Warborough Avenue and a blessing of the Greenlane site. A Socks and Gloves party was held on 20^th July to farewell Warborough Ave.

July 1992
The First Annual Report of the National Women's Maternity and Newborn Services is presented. This includes detailed statistics of the 1991 year. This is the first annual report since 1952 when the service was situated on the Cornwall Park site.

1992
The National Women's switchboard is combined with the switchboard at Greenlane Hospital.

15 August 1994
The sibling playroom opens in the Newborn Service to provide free childcare when families are visiting or using a National Women,s service.

1995
Gary Henry leaves the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia to take up the position of General Manager of National Women's.

21 April 1996
The new Women's Health Information Unit opens at National Women's. The Unit has been established following a clinical review of services provided at the hospital where the need for an information centre was identified.

March 1997
Professor Jane Harding, the Senior Medical Officer at National Women's since 1989 is awarded a Personal Chair in Neonatology at the Auckland Medical School. Jane is the only Professor of Neonatology in New Zealand and has been involved in extensive peri-natal research. The position acknowledges neonatology as a specialty and National Women's as a centre of excellence in neonatology. Neonatology is a relatively new specialty and it has taken time for a research culture to be established.

5 June 1998
National Women's is officially awarded accreditation for three years until 4 June 2001, by the New Zealand Council on Healthcare Standards following an extensive survey of every aspect of the service.

July 1998
The antenatal clinics are relocated to the lower ground floor so the gynaecology outpatient and colposcopy clinics can move back to the National Women's site (from Greenlane Hospital) on the lower lower ground level.

19 September 1998 (Suffrage Day)
National Women's Open Day.

06 July 1999
The report of the Neonatal Chest Physiotherapy Inquiry prepared by Q.C. Helen Cull is publicly released.

July 1999
The Cornwall Suite opens at National Women's Hospital. The approach to providing an alternative postnatal service which women pay for within a public hospital, generates considerable media attention and public discussion.

06 November 1999
National Women's Open Day.

31 December 2000
Gary Henry Resigns as General Manager

2000

Auckland Healthcare Services Limited becomes the Auckland District Health Board. Board members are appointed by the Ministry of Health until the elections in September 2001. Meetings are to be held in public and the media can attend.

25 March 2001

The screening of 'Clares Story' a drama based on Clare Materson and the Cartwright Inquiry prompts numerous calls about the taking of smears of babies born between 1963-1965.

April 2001

Lois Harrison leaves National Women's after 29 years as the hospital's Mortician, she has made sure babies that have died are carefully looked after in the mortuary.

10 April 2001
Cathy Handley is formally welcomed to the position of General Manager

June 2001

Associate professor John France retires as head of the School of Medicine's Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. He is replaced by Professor Peter Stone

July 2001

The hospital is successful in gaining accreditation for a further 3 years

August 2001

Property developer Ken Kells of Rawson 2000 demolishes the old Pitt street St Helens Hospital.

August 2001

The report of a study looking at whether there is a link in a cluster of cancer cases in midwives working at National Women's is released. The study did not find a link but is strongly criticised for not including all the known cases

September 2001

A new Board is elected to the Auckland DHB following local body elections. This is the first time in over a decade that Boards have comprised elected representatives. The chairman, Wayne Brown, a former engineer and property developer is a government appointment.

4 December 2001

All 7 ADHB General Managers are disestablished as part of the Integrated Change Programme ( ICP) restructuring. The 7 positions are to be reduced to 4 by combining some positions. It is announced that National Women's and the Starship hildrens Hospital will be combined under one Manager

7 December 2001

Farewell to Cathy Handley following the disestablishment of her position. This marks the passing of the last General Manager of national Women's.

February 2002

The Domestic Violence Centre gifts a position of Hospital Advocate to National Women's funded by the ADHB, the first of its kind in NZ. Dale little is appointed to the position.

March 2002

Lianna De Jong becomes the 3000th mother in the Cornwall suite. Lianna is given a gift to aknowledge the birth of baby Angeline.

March 2002

National Women's staff help respond to numerous calls from the public following he media coverage about the 1300 hearts being held in the Green Lane Heart Library. By June there have been 4000 calls to the hotline

29 April 2002

Kay Hyman is appointed 0.5 National Women's and 0.5 Starship joint General Manager position.

April 2003

Malcolm Battin wins the National Health Committee individual category of the Inaugural Health Innovation Award 2003 for the Neonatal Head Cooling Cap used at National Women's in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

April-May 2003

Extensive public outcry over the proposed plan to change the hospital's names and have just Auckland City Hospital in anticipation for when the services are amalgamated on the Grafton site. Celebrities from all over the country rally to support keeping the Starship, Green Lane and National Women's names.

30 May 2003

Official closing ceremony for The Cornwall Suite. This is a consequence of the new funding arrangements facilitated by the ADHB and results in a reduced number of beds at National Women's. There is a significant increase in women having their babies at National Women's (20%) transferring to the private Birthcare service in Parnell for postnatal care.

May 2002

Childbirth Education classes are started for Somali women to help them understand the NZ maternity service and the services provided at National Women's

July 2003

ADHB buildings and grounds are declared smokefree with the exception of patient only designated smoking gazebos, which have been placed temporarily on site until 1 October 2003 when no smoking will be permitted anywhere on ADHB premises.

October 2004

From the 11th of October 2004 all babies will be born at the new labour and birthing suite on level 9 at Auckland City Hospital. the move will also include postnatal services and high risk outpatient services.

March 2008

National Womens achieves Baby Friendly status. The award was presentes by WHO representative Mrs Sadeh and the Executive director of the NZ Breastfeeding Authority Julie Stufkens. A baby friendly hospital is a healthcare facility that, protects, promotes and supports exclusive breastfeeding from birth.