Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department Photo: Supplied / Te Whatu Ora
Paitent numbers in Christchurch Hospital's Emergency Department have eased after large numbers of following an exceptionally busy period.
In the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday, 357 people attended ED - at its peak, there were 124 people in the department at once.
The hospital asked people who did not need urgent care on Tuesday night to consider using an alternative like Healthline or be prepared for a long wait.
Jo Gibbs, Interim Group Director of Operations for Health Canterbury - Te Whatu Ora Waitaha said the large number of very unwell patients all requiring care at the same time made yesterday particularly challenging.
"At its peak there were 124 people in the department, it dropped to 107 between 9 and 10pm and 87 at midnight. That is still a large number of unwell people to be looked after," she said.
The usual number of ED patients at midnight was 40-60, Gibbs said.
"Last night the admission rate was 32 percent - which means almost a third of all people coming to ED were so sick that they needed to be admitted to hospital.
"We'd like to thank everyone for their patience, as some people had to wait longer than we would like. Our admission rate has reduced slightly to 30 percent on Wednesday morning, however the wider hospital is still very busy at 104 percent occupancy," she said.
There was no particular cause or common reasons for admissions or the high acuity, Gibbs confirmed.
"The only trend yesterday and last night was that there were a lot of medical, rather than surgical admissions," she said.
By 8.30am on Wednesday, 34 people were being looked after in ED.
"Special thanks to our staff who coped admirably with the unexpected high numbers of patients last night and thanks too to those who sought alternative care and health advice - there are a range of options available to people, and we are grateful when people choose well and utilise one of the many options available after hours where this is appropriate and convenient for them," Gibbs said.
Despite the high volume of presentations, the hospital was there for anyone who needed emergency care and people should not hesitate to call 111 in an emergency, she assured.
Alternative care options could be found here.
Other non-urgent medical care options include:
- Free advice available on Healthify in the Health A to Z, for minor injuries and illnesses like colds, coughs, fevers and mild COVID-19, which could be treated safely at home.
- A virtual appointment with a New Zealand registered doctor who can give advice and prescriptions etc. online via phone, laptop or other device.
- Local pharmacies can advise on over-the-counter medications and treatments including pain management.
- Many GPs can issue repeat prescriptions over the phone or online.
- If it's a sprain or injury, people can go straight to a physio without a referral - the physio can then register an ACC claim, and organise X-rays and specialist referrals.