Monday influx swamps emergency department

Wanganui Hospital's emergency department was stretched almost beyond its limits on Monday night by a huge, unexplained influx of sick people.
Emergency department director Athol Steward said yesterday 80 people were seen and 30 of those had to be admitted.
"It was very, very hectic for the staff."
Dr Steward said Monday night's phenomenon had staff running until the early hours of Tuesday morning. And it hadn't helped that the department was short-staffed, he said.
"But not only did the staff do an incredible job, the public waiting were all wonderful as well."
The triage nurse and the receptionist had constantly updated and told people there was going to be a long wait, but no one had complained, he said.
Patients on Monday night had ranged from small babies to elderly people, with many of them suffering from respiratory complications from the flu that has swept through Wanganui over the past month.
"There was also a few accidents and other medical problems."
The mad rush into the emergency department had started about 4pm on Monday and steadily built up through the night, he said.
"It was just exceptional."
One man told the Chronicle he had taken his wife in at 8.30pm and it was 1.30am before she was seen.
Dr Steward said the average patient number through emergency was usually between 50-55 a day and that Monday had been the busiest, with the greatest number of patients through for more than three years. He attributed the increase in patient numbers over the past year to people now preferring to go to the emergency department rather than their GP.
"It's a choice people in Wanganui are making.
"It's the time of the year as well, with the winter weather."
Fortunately, though, with higher numbers of patients coming through, the new facility, which opened in April, had helped enormously.
"It's so much easier to work."
Though Monday's numbers were beyond anything the staff would have envisaged a bed was found for everyone, he said.
"No one was left waiting in a corridor, and that is remarkable a real achievement."
However, things will pick up by the end of this week, when four new junior doctors will have started, he said.
"Even though patient numbers can't be predicted, the four new doctors will make a huge difference. We're a very busy hospital for a small place."
Even though Wanganui was geographically small, with a small population, the health problems were enormous, he said.
"It's an older population, and it's a sickly population. Wanganui is not the healthiest town. There are a lot of health problems here."
PICTURED: They're The Young Doctors. Doctors (from left) Elen Owen, EI Aung, Ali Riniker and Emma Hulbert-Powell are pictured on orientation with Wanganui Hospital Director of Emergency Doctor Athol Steward. The four new junior doctors will be on the wards at Wanganui Hospital at the end of the week. They have come out to take up their positions from Switzerland, Wales, Myanmar and the UK. The newest arrivals, Drs Hulbert-Powell and Owen, arrived in Wanganui only two days ago. Drs Riniker and Aung have already spent a year in other New Zealand hospitals. The four will work throughout the hospital, in the emergency department and the wards.