Wellington Hospital's emergency department has closed off part of a corridor this week to accommodate extra beds as patient numbers remain high.
By Kate Green of RNZ
Health NZ acting interim group director of operations for Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley Robert Blaikie said: "At times when there is high occupancy [in ED], steps are taken to temporarily increase capacity by placing up to four beds in a corridor outside the ED observation unit for stable patients awaiting admission or discharge."
That was the case on Tuesday.
"A nurse is assigned to this area for monitoring," he said. "To minimise disruption and create privacy for these patients, access to the corridor is temporarily restricted."
This winter had brought a significant increase in presentations to emergency departments across the country, he said.
This flu season, a particularly contagious strain of influenza, coupled with already high occupancy rates in hospitals, was contributing to high levels of stress across the health system nationwide.
Alongside steps to temporarily increase capacity, Blaikie said Health NZ was prioritising acute care, increasing temporary capacity in wards, freeing up more inpatient beds by frequently reviewing ward patients to assess if they were ready for discharge, and using additional community support, such as early supported discharge.
It was also ensuring suitable ED patients were being seen in alternate primary care places, outside of EDs.
Blaikie said it reinforced the importance of work underway to relocate and expand the ED and increase capacity in acute services.
Last Wednesday, nurses at Tauranga ED, through the NZNO union, declared a 'state of emergency' themselves, with staff there also being asked to assess and treat patients in corridors due to a lack of space.
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