Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Hawke's Bay DHB says hospital bed demand 'eased' despite 90% occupancy

The Hawke's Bay DHB has a plan of attack for patient capacity in a Covid-outbreak. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay Hospital's inpatient bed occupancy rate is 90.3 per cent, and the average bed occupancy fell below 100 per cent for the first time this financial year (99.5 per cent in January).

And the combination of full hospitals, along with not enough nurses is "fast approaching a deadly mix", says National Party Health spokesman Dr Shane Reti.

Data supplied to Reti showed that on February 9, general hospital ward beds across all hospitals in New Zealand were at an average of 82 per cent occupancy.

"This was at a time when there were only 204 community cases and 16 in hospital," Reti said.

"The combination of full hospitals, not enough nurses, Omicron starting to surge and winter fast approaching is a deadly mix.

"People with Omicron will be pushed out into an unprepared community and people waiting for surgery and cancer treatment will have their procedures cancelled."

Hawke's Bay DHB addressed the inpatient bed capacity and chief executive officer Keriana Brooking said the easing of bed demand in December and January enabled the B2 (stroke and neurology ward) oxygen upgrade to be completed.

It meant another 20 beds would be ready in B2, the dedicated ward for Covid patients.

In addition, Brooking said ED continued to operate under "special Covid-19 protocols",
which has a corresponding impact on efficiency.

The hospital already had 24 beds which could be used for Covid-19 patients if needed, including in ED and ICU, the DHB's chief operating officer Chris Ash previously said.

In the DHB's resurgence plan updated this month, the DHB stated the ICU currently had seven ICU and four HDU beds plus an additional two negative pressure beds.

Beds and equipment are not limiting factors to Covid surge but staff is, stated the plan.

"Training has been undertaken to upskill ward staff as surge capacity while recognising that maintaining the skills learned is problematic."

The plan also stated that Cranford Hospice Trust would stand up a Co-ordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) structure and plan to continue to provide as much service
as possible while keeping both staff and patients safe.

"This plan includes keeping up to four to six hospice inpatient beds available.

"Availability can be impacted if system flow is interrupted, i.e restrictions on new admission into Aged Residential Care."

The plan also stated that maternity services at Hawke's Bay Hospital had the provision to shut off Waioha where Covid hot patients would be housed.

"With 35 per cent of women who are pregnant currently being unvaccinated and the heightened probability of severe illness amongst pregnant women who contract Covid-19 this is an area of concern.

"Covid positive women in labour can decompensate in the second stage potentially requiring Caesarean section."

The Children's Ward also had a plan in place to effectively create two separate areas, one end to house Covid positive patients and the other end for Cold patients.

"Staff will function in two separate bubbles once the Covid area is activated."