Number of trained staff restricts Whanganui critical care unit to three ventilators

Whanganui Hospital does not have an intensive care unit but has six critical care unit beds, three supported by ventilators. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui Hospital has only enough trained staff to operate three ventilators and Covid-19 patients needing intensive care could be transferred to Wellington.

The hospital does not have an intensive care unit but has six critical care unit beds, three supported by ventilators. It also has two portable ventilators.

The Whanganui District Health Board says scenario modelling shows that most people who contract Covid-19 will not be hospitalised but patients meeting "a criteria" would be transferred to an intensive care unit in Wellington.

Asked if the DHB planned to get more ventilators as part of its Covid-19 response plan, it said the number of ventilators in Whanganui is "restricted by the number of trained staff that we have available".

In a written response, Director of Nursing Lucy Adams and General Manager Corporate Services Andrew McKinnon said the hospital currently has "all the ventilators we need to be operated by the trained staff that we have".

They said 14 non-invasive breathing support devices are also used in the critical care unit and other wards.

"Staffing arrangements, equipment and [its] location within the hospital would be determined based on need and scenario," the written response said.

The DHB did not respond when asked if it had increased its capacity – including ventilators, the number of trained staff, and critical care beds – to deal with seriously ill Covid-19 patients since the first outbreak in 2020, or if there were plans to train more critical care unit staff.

The written response said vaccination was the most important part of managing Covid-19. If extra critical care beds are needed in the event of an outbreak in the region, the DHB would use its partnership plan with other DHBs to secure critical care for patients.