Briar Parfitt, 40, died Saturday afternoon while traveling to Hawke’s Bay Hospital after her family says she was told she faced a 25-hour wait at Palmerston North Hospital. Health NZ contradicts this account, stating the average wait time that day was two hours and the emergency department was fully staffed, according to a statement from interim group director of operations for MidCentral Kath Fraser-Chapple.
Why did Briar Parfitt leave Palmerston North Hospital?
Colin Adkins, Parfitt’s father, stated that his daughter was taken by ambulance to the Palmerston North Hospital emergency department around midday Saturday. Parfitt suffered from complex regional pain syndrome and constant pain resulting from an operation that went wrong seven years prior. Adkins said Parfitt chose to leave the facility after being told the wait to be seen would be more than a day.
Health NZ records provide a different timeline. Kath Fraser-Chapple stated the patient was triaged on arrival and called for assessment within 90 minutes. The patient was not in the waiting room at that time, nor were they present when called again 45 minutes later, according to the agency.
How did the death occur?
After returning home briefly, the family decided by mid-afternoon to take Parfitt to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings to seek quicker care. While her daughter was driving her over the Ruahine Range, Parfitt became unresponsive in the passenger seat. The vehicle stopped in Woodville, approximately 20 minutes from Palmerston North. An ambulance was called, but Parfitt could not be revived, according to Colin Adkins.
What are the conflicting reports on wait times?
There is a significant gap between the family’s account and the official hospital records regarding the delay in care:
- Family Account: Parfitt was told she faced a wait of more than a day.
- Health NZ Account: The average wait on Saturday was two hours, and the department was “fully staffed to meet demand.”
Colin Adkins described the situation as “playing Russian roulette with people’s lives,” stating his daughter would have stayed if she knew the wait was short.
What happens next in the investigation?
The death has been referred to the coroner, according to Kath Fraser-Chapple. An autopsy was performed over the weekend, and the family is currently awaiting those results. While RNZ questioned Health NZ regarding the longest wait time recorded that Saturday and whether a formal investigation would occur, Health NZ stated it had nothing further to add to its initial statement.
What is the broader context of this case?
This incident follows other recent healthcare concerns. Colin Adkins noted that just one week prior, his family had discussed the death of a patient in a toilet at Waikato Hospital. Parfitt, a mother of five who managed her pain with a controlled mix of THC and methadone, had frequently visited hospitals for relief. The family had planned a trip to Fiji in six weeks, a trip Adkins says may now involve taking Parfitt’s ashes.
