Child spent whole night in Starship Hospital ceiling

The patient may have been in the ceiling at Starship overnight. Photo / Google

A young child is safe after being brought down from the ceiling at Auckland's Starship Hospital.

The patient "came down willingly" from the ceiling cavity at the hospital this morning, a spokeswoman said.

In a statement to the Herald this afternoon the hospital clarified what happened, after initial reports suggested the child had become stuck in the ceiling space, with the alarm being raised this morning.

However, a Starship Hospital spokeswoman said that was not the case.

"A young patient climbed into the ceiling space of one of our wards during the night," she said.

"They were monitored through the night to ensure their safety. They were not stuck or trapped.

"The patient's parents were consulted and updated at intervals throughout the incident."

Police and Fire were called in the morning for assistance, she said.

"The patient eventually came down willingly from the ceiling space."

Earlier today, Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Scott Osmond said the alarm was raised at 8am after a patient was discovered trapped in a ceiling cavity in the high-rise paediatric hospital.

The young patient was believed to have spent the entire night trapped in the cavity, he said.

Firefighters were called to the hospital to reach the patient and help staff get the child down to safety using a ladder.

Osmond was unable to say which ward or floor the child was on.

He was also unable to give the age or gender of the child.

Fire crews had left the hospital by 9.30am.

This morning, an Auckland District Health Board spokeswoman said: "The situation has now been resolved and the young person is safe."