Staff shortage puts pressure on Ashburton Hospital

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
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Staffing shortages are already putting the pressure on at Ashburton Hospital while the threat of an omicron outbreak in the region looms large.

The Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) has confirmed that the current number of nursing vacancies in the Ashburton District is putting pressure on the DHB’s acute and inpatient nursing workforce in Ashburton.

CDHB general manager rural health services Berni Marra said they were reshuffling staff and reviewing services to cope with the shortage.

“To minimise disruption to our Ashburton-based services, we are making full use of our talented Ashburton team, with nursing staff from various outpatient, community, day surgical and education work forces being redeployed to assist the areas currently under pressure.

“We’re also reviewing outpatient clinic and community care bookings for the next six weeks, with urgent and acute care, e.g. emergency and palliative, being prioritised.”

People may notice a difference in the way other services were delivered in Ashburton, Mara said.

“While our district nursing service continues, more clinics will be taking place virtually via telehealth for example.

“Our colleagues across the DHB are also supporting our community and our services, as we work through an active recruitment programme including talent sourcing from overseas, multi-channel advertising across all job boards, targeted campaigns, recruitment open days and attendance at career expos.

“While we work to overcome this short-term challenge, our community can be confident that they will continue to receive quality care from our Ashburton teams, when and where they need it.”

Acute and inpatient services would continue to be available and people should continue to access the care they need when they need it, she said.

“This includes making their GP their first port of call – they can tell you what to do and where to go if you need to be seen urgently.

“After hours, people can call Healthline for general health advice on 0800 611 116 anytime,” Mara said.

If you or someone you know needs mental wellbeing support or advice: Call or text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor. This service is free of charge and is available day and night.