Countdown gift baskets for busy hospital staff

Countdown Hastings assistant store manager Philippa Reston, left, presents one of the gift baskets to Emergency Department nurse co-ordinator Sue Revell. Photo / Warren Buckland

Weary staff at Hawke's Bay Hospital received an energy boost yesterday with the delivery of fruit baskets by Hawke's Bay Countdown in recognition of the recent pressure on doctors and nurses.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board integrated operations centre manager Jacqui Akuhata-Brown said that compared with the same time last year, there had been a 13 per cent increase in admissions to the Emergency Department (about 129 to 132 patients a day, compared to 118 last year).

"This was especially children and people aged over 70, and mostly related to the flu."

Walk-ins to primary care had also increased - up 25 to 30 per cent from last year.

She said in the face of the increased pressure the staff had been pulling together - not only the hospital doctors and nurses but also the likes of general practitioners, public health organisations and St John.

Nurse director medical services David Warrington said there had been sustained increased demand for health services coupled with staff falling ill with the flu themselves.

"They are bouncing back now but the sheer numbers in the hospital was overwhelming.

"It's great to have this community recognition and acknowledgement of all the hard work everyone has been doing."

Hawke's Bay Countdown group manager Wayne Dohmen said the company was inspired to donate the 20 fruit basket gifts after recent publicity that the busy winter period was taking its toll on hospital staff.

"Normally it's patients who receive fruit baskets, so we thought we would deliver these to the wards to support the doctors and nurses who do an amazing job day in and day out caring for our local community."

Countdown had an existing relationship with the DHB through the annual Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal, and Mr Dohmen said that since the appeal began more than $700,000 had been raised for equipment for the Hawke's Bay Hospital children's ward.

As well as more patients going to hospital, GPs were also reporting big increases in demand, about 25 to 30 per cent more patients than average.