A temporary Acute Assessment Unit, touted as the saviour to Whangārei Hospital's capacity problems, should be operational before Christmas. In the monthly Quality and Safety summary report prepared for yesterday's Northland District Health Board meeting, it stated the hospital had been "at or above capacity" for much of the last three weeks. The report recognised the risk this posed to patients and the wellbeing of staff. An Acute Assessment Unit (AAU), also referred to as a Medical Assessment Unit, is a facility inside a hospital where patients were seen in a more intensive and efficient fashion than on the wards. "We are taking urgent measures to open a temporary [AAU] before Christmas so that during the holiday period it is less likely that the Emergency Department will be overwhelmed," the report said.
New co-chairs for Labour Māori caucus
Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime and MP for Te Tai Tonga, Rino Tirikatene, have been unanimously elected as new co-chairs of the Labour Māori caucus.
The Labour MPs, who replace outgoing co-chairs Willie Jackson and Meka Whaitiri, say they are focused on continuing the caucus' work across government to deliver for Māori.
"Thanks to the support of our communities, the Labour Māori caucus now has a record 15 members, each a committed representative of their people," Prime said.
"The opportunity for Rino and I to lead this caucus in further improving the health of our whānau, the environment, and creating opportunities in the Māori economy is humbling and exciting. We are getting on with the job. Labour has a clear mandate from Māori to deliver on the policies of our Māori and wider Labour manifestos in order to get our whānau through these challenging times.''
