KEY POINTS:
Greater Auckland is short of 53 beds for the acutely unwell in its main hospitals, jeopardising patients' safety, says an official paper.
Officials from the four Auckland and Northland district health boards say their hospitals need 60 to 70 more beds and associated staff for each of the next five years to keep up with the forecast growth in demand.
"This does not accommodate any existing shortfalls in capacity."
The officials' presentation to an Auckland District Health Board committee this month coincides with a call from emergency medicine specialists for a 15 per cent increase in the number of in-patient beds nationally.
This is to combat overcrowding that is forecast to lead to about 400 deaths nationally each year by causing patient backlogs and delays in emergency departments.
The regional paper says hospitals are running at greater than 90 per cent occupancy - well above the ideal of 85 per cent - and sometimes over 95 per cent. This was "far from ideal" because:
* "Patients will end up blocked in ED [emergency department], and spaces such as corridors and bathrooms that are not designed as clinical ward spaces will need to be used as at such high overall occupancy rates there is no available capacity to address acute demand peaks."
* The patient "journey" would be compromised and safety risks increased.
* Staff turnover would remain high in acute areas due to adverse working conditions.
National Party health spokesman Tony Ryall said yesterday that the paper highlighted the state of hospital overcrowding in Auckland. The talk of people being treated in bathrooms revealed a lack of planning.
The paper says that while Auckland-Northland has a 59-bed shortage, Auckland DHB has a 48-bed surplus. It has surpluses in mental health and adults' surgery, but shortages in adults' medicine, elder care, neonatal care and women's health.
Counties Manukau has a shortage of 42 acute beds at its main sites, Waitemata a shortage of 59 and Northland a shortage of six.
The paper outlines formal business cases for more beds, including 122 at Counties Manukau and 48, plus an expanded North Shore Hospital emergency department, at Waitemata.
Waitemata, which has opened 68 beds this year, also wants to add 30 beds to Waitakere Hospital and expand its ED - and, by 2013, to add 300 more beds in both its hospitals.
Health Minister David Cunliffe said Auckland was "certainly not underfunded" and population growth was taken into account when hospital projects were considered.
He said that this year, 68 beds would open at Waitemata DHB.
BED COUNT
* The Auckland region has 2825 hospital beds at its main acute facilities, including mental health units.
* It needs 2878.
* Shortfall: 53.
