Members of New Zealand Nurses Organisation are now back on duty following strike action which began at 7am, 12 July and concluded at 7am today, 13 July.
Hawke’s Bay Hospital and Wairoa Hospital coped well overnight but remain very busy and this is expected to continue today and into the weekend.
A surge in presentations at Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s Emergency Department in the early evening required the DHB to request additional Life Preserving Services (LPS) to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), and this was agreed by the NZNO. Additional LPS had also been requested and agreed earlier in the day to provide additional care to some hospital wards.
GP’s and medical centres were well staffed with many reporting being busy but manageable.
All hospital services, including Central Hawke’s Bay’s inpatient ward, and district nursing services have now returned to normal.
The DHB would like to thank staff, its contingency planning team and the hugely important role that general practice and other health providers played in the support they provided the DHB during the strike period, and in the hours to come, as the hospital remains busy and services return to normal.
The DHB would also like to take this opportunity to extend its thanks for the support it received from more than 60 volunteers who helped to assist with care for patients during this strike period – a mixture of members of the community and staff within the health sector who normally work in corporate or other non-medical roles.
Thank you also to patients and their families/caregivers for their understanding as staff and volunteers worked extremely hard to give people the care they needed.
What should people do today and into the weekend?
Hospital continues to remain very busy. It is important people continue to leave the Emergency Departments for emergencies only and seek non-urgent medical help from a pharmacy, GP, medical and urgent care centre, or call Healthline 0800 611 116.
People should not delay seeking medical treatment or going to hospital if the matter is urgent. They should dial 111 for emergencies or an ambulance.
A full list of GPs and pharmacies and their opening hours is available from www.ourhealthhb.nz
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