MP worried by ‘unbearable’ hospital ED waits
Southland MP Joseph Mooney is concerned about emergency department wait times in Southland and Otago, calling them among the worst in the country.
The latest Ministry of Health data shows the Southern health district’s ED performance has been average when compared with the rest of the country, but it has been steadily deteriorating over the past five years.
Mooney was referring to the portion of people who were admitted, discharged or transferred from the ED within six hours of arriving at a Southern hospital.
This has gone from 92% in September 2017 to 82% at the end of the 2020-21 financial year, to 79% in March this year, and 75% last month.
This showed the health system was not coping, Mooney said. ‘‘When ED waiting times are unbearable, people simply leave – sometimes with tragic consequences.’’
ED staff were exhausted and losing hope, Mooney said, and the Government needed to refocus the $486 million being spent on health reforms towards relieving pressure in EDs.
Health New Zealand’s Southern deputy chief operating officer, Simon Donlevy, said all emergency departments across New Zealand were experiencing challenges with patient flow under the current pressures on the healthcare system.
‘‘New Covid-19 subvariants, flu and other respiratory illnesses are all having an impact on services,’’ he said.
Patients were assessed when they arrived at the ED and those most in need of urgent care were always seen first, Donlevy said.
‘‘We would like to assure the public that if they or their loved ones need urgent hospital-level care, they will receive it. This unfortunately means that those who can wait sometimes will have an extended waiting time.’’
Southern staff were working closely with Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand to monitor the situation and implement improvement initiatives, Donlevy said.
Southland Hospital has partnered with two general practices to offer vouchers to ED patients who could be seen in a primary care setting.
The programme has been used by 35 patients in its first 30 days, but Donlevy noted it was only for lower acuity patients and relied on appointment availability.
‘‘Any patient redirected serves to reduce pressure in the emergency department and will mean some improvement in waiting time for all patients,’’ he said.