ED busier than ever in Oct

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

SPRING caught out Gisborne Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) with a record number of October presentations.

Chief executive Jim Green told the Hauora Tairawhiti board that October had been the busiest month of the year for the ED, with presentations at a five-year high.

The numbers surpassed winter counts and reflected flu-like illnesses in the community.

“We have never previously had this October jump. I would never have predicted that,’’ Mr Green said. “I would have thought we were past the worst of winter.”

He said the biggest increase was in the number of triage 4 and 5 patients (triage 1 covers patients in most urgent need of care).

Primary care providers had also seen a big influx of patients.

There had been a small drop-off after the late October peak.

Mr Green said that despite the October numbers, Hauora Tairawhiti had reached the health target of having 95 percent of patients admitted, discharged, or transferred from ED within six hours.

Hauora Tairawhiti’s figure was 95.1 percent in October.