More temporary beds added to hospitals around NZ to meet winter demand

Health NZ is adding 30 more temporary beds than initially expected to hospitals around the country in order to meet winter demand.

The government announced in March a $25 million funding boost would add 71 beds to hospitals ahead of the colder months.

But this week, a Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said 81 extra beds were now available across the country, and the number was expected to reach 103 by mid-July.

Thirty-five were added to hospitals in the midland region - 12 at Waikato, 18 at Rotorua and five at Thames - and 12 at Wellington Hospital.

In the South Island, 12 were added at Burwood, eight at Christchurch, and 14 across the Southern region.

"In addition, we are expecting 14 in Middlemore to open on 8 July and a further eight in Christchurch to open on 17 July, totalling 103 nationwide," they said. "The slight variation from the original plan's bed alignment is due to hospitals reviewing demand and mak[ing] changes accordingly."

Despite the added capacity, hospitals remained busy around the country.

Dr Tanya Wilton, speaking as an Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive member - who is also a Hutt-based ED doctor - said there was a record number of patients through the door all through the year.

"What that looks like on the ground is there's extra over-time for the regular staff to be doing more work, and I think many emergency departments, the staffing is very thinly spread."

Emergency departments were squeezing people in where they could.

"It can be really, really packed," Wilton said. "No seats left in the waiting room, all of the care spaces inside the emergency department are full, there's people in corridors when was no design ever to have people in the corridors."

There was also a new, worrying trend involving unhoused people.

"I've noticed that there are people who are unhoused, or who can't access transitional housing, especially with the terrible weather that we've had recently, who are also coming to the emergency department."

She said she treated at least one person a week whose lack of housing played a part in their admission.

Health NZ also expected to add 378 full-time staff, as part of its preparations for winter demand.

Health NZ's executive regional director for the central region Chris Lowry said 85 percent of those were either already in place, under offer, had a start date confirmed, or were being covered by additional duties or overtime by existing staff.

They included nursing, allied health, medical, healthcare assistants, support and non-clinical roles across the regions.

"As recruitment for the remaining FTE continues, Health NZ is collaborating with healthcare partners including general practices, pharmacies, and primary providers to support the plan's delivery," Lowry said.

Wilton said in Hutt Hospital ED, there certainly were more shifts available - but the same staff were filling them.

"To try and squeeze a bit more work out of your regular staff, that's a big ask."

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said at the end of the day, beds were only beds if they had the staff to service them.

"EDs are slammed, they are not particularly well-staffed, and they are still subject to significant barriers to being able to get patients who need to be in other parts of the hospital admitted."

New Zealand Nurses Organisation president Anne Daniels said her members were reporting similar issues.

It was normal for waiting rooms to be standing room only, she said.

Last week, a man died after a reported nine-hour wait in Waikato ED, where other patients told RNZ it was full to the brim, with a line out the door.

Daniels said to make matters worse, people who were put off by long wait times often presented in a worse condition, because they had delayed coming in.

"Those patients that sit there, or stand there and wait to be cared for when they've probably put trying to get healthcare off for some time because they know of the problems trying to get help... it's just terrible."

Chris Lowry said they had a number of focus areas - preventing illness and helping people stay well, supporting primary care, improving hospital flow, and enabling patients to return home sooner.

"Implementation is progressing well with each region rolling out initiatives focused on maintaining safe, timely care during a period of sustained growth in acute demand. We are delivering more staff, bed capacity, and care available in the community so more people get the right healthcare when and where they need it."

Immunisation remained one of the most effective ways to protect people from serious illness and hospitalisation - and since April 1, almost 950,000 influenza immunisations had been delivered throughout New Zealand.