Health New Zealand announces $25m for hospitals, more beds and staff as winter looms

The winter Health New Zealand investment hopes to provide an extra 71 hospital beds. Photo / Getty Images

Health New Zealand has announced an extra $25 million to boost more beds and staff in hospitals across the country ahead of winter’s anticipated sickness rush.

The investment hopes to deliver 378 extra staff, 71 extra winter hospital beds, and 567 short-stay beds in aged residential care facilities.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said winter demands placed extra stress on hospital services and frontline staff.

“But by planning early, expanding capacity, and supporting our frontline teams, we are giving them the tools, resources, and flexibility they need to better manage pressure and reduce delays.

“This gives New Zealanders confidence that the system is getting ready to support them heading into winter.”

Brown outlined plans to the Health New Zealand Board in November about what to expect during the winter months.

The nationwide implementation focused on four areas:

• Prevention: More vaccination opportunities, clearer winter wellness information, targeted support for older people and those at higher risk, earlier access to antivirals, stronger vaccination support in aged care, and easier access to multiple vaccinations in a single visit.
• Strengthening primary care: Expanded telehealth services, expansion of urgent and after-hours care clinic hours, and working with pharmacies to treat more minor conditions.
• Improving flow through emergency departments and hospitals: Additional staff and beds to manage higher demand, seasonal winter wards at Middlemore, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch hospitals, faster diagnostic testing and imaging, and systems to help clinicians respond more quickly to critical results.
• Supporting timely discharge from hospital: Expanded hospital‑in‑the‑home services, additional transitional and aged residential care beds, increased allied health support for patients returning home, and improved weekend discharge processes.

In May last year, a report showed more than 1500 patients were treated in corridors in Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital emergency department in a period of just over a month.

It showed in the same month, there were 1230 “excess bed days” which is the number of days patients languished in the ED before being admitted to a ward, while more than 1000 patients left the hospital before being seen because of long wait times.

The “quality alert” review, obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA), details 43 separate incidents where patients were harmed because of poor quality and delayed care amid ED overcrowding and staff shortages in the middle of winter.

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