Six ambulances were turned away from Auckland Hospital on Monday night because its emergency department was too full.
The hospital was under so much pressure patients had to be treated in a public space normally used as back up in case of mass injuries such as from a plane crash or earthquake.
Te Whatu Ora Auckland interim director Mike Shepherd said it was rare to have to divert ambulances.
Those that could not go to Auckland were sent to North Shore and Middlemore hospitals instead.
Patients who needed care that could only be offered at Auckland Hospital were still accepted, he said.
An emergency specialist at the hospital and member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Amanda Rosenberg, said there was no physical space left in the ED on Monday, even every bit of corridor space was being used.
The overflow area that was opened was in the atrium of the main building and was normally a public recreational space but was instead used for ambulance patients still on the stretchers they came in on.
There was no privacy, she said.
"They're already quite frightened that they've had to call an ambulance to come to hospital I would imagine. And then being shunted into a space that's not really designed to care for patients on a regular basis must be even more frightening," she said.
Many waited several hours to get into the department and the ambulance officers had to stay with them, meaning they could not attend other emergencies, she said.
The situation in the hospital ED on Monday had been building for a while.
The hospital was so full, patients who needed a ward bed could not be admitted straight away and took up space in the emergency department.
Some were waiting there two and a half days, she said.
One day last week there were only four beds in the department that could be used for emergency patients, she said.
College of Emergency Medicine New Zealand chair Kate Allan said the situation was not unique to Auckland — there were extremely full hospitals all over the country.
With this level of pressure already, she and her colleagues worried about what the winter peak would bring.
Shepherd said the ED was now returning to normal levels.
He wanted to assure anyone who needed care that they would get it.
Operations have been postponed at Dunedin Hospital because of staff shortages and a busy Emergency Department, it emerged yesterday.
The hospital warned about how busy it was, and apologised to patients who had to wait for care.
There were large numbers of people coming to the Emergency Department as well as staff illness and vacancies, it said.
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It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!
Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.6% Yes
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14% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒: 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐁𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝟏𝟕-𝟏𝟖-𝟏𝟗 𝐍𝐎𝐕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒!
Auckland Transport is dropping the Mt Eden/Epsom/southern area from the OuterLink bus route as from Sunday 17 November 2024.
If your bus trip is impacted by this change in the OuterLink bus route (eg, if you have to catch a different bus or if you have to interchange buses once or twice) and you are not sure what to do, we urge you to catch your new bus (or buses) on Sunday 17 November, Monday 18 November and Tuesday 19 November.
This is because Auckland Transport will have Ambassadors out and about on those THREE days to help people with their new bus journeys! (AT may then have ambassadors out for an extra day or two, but this will depend on perceived need).
You can already plan your new journey on the Auckland Transport web site. The Journey Planner tool has been updated (but make sure you input a date from 17 November onwards). Or you can contact Auckland Transport with any enquiries as you would usually do, eg, phone 09 366 6400 or live chat at at.govt.nz... etc.
The Mt Eden Village Business Association knows that the southern half of the OuterLink bus route is heavily used by school children, the elderly, people for whom English is a second language, and other vulnerable groups. So, if you do see anyone who is confused by these changes, please be as helpful as you can. Thank you!
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