KEY POINTS:
Occupancy at Waikato Hospital reached a critical state today, with 16 patients waiting for beds and only two expected to become available.
The occupancy rate was 109 per cent, with no respite in sight, Waikato Hospital group manager Hayley McConnell said.
As well as the 16 patients waiting for beds, another 64 patients were waiting in the emergency department at 2pm.
The situation was continuing an upward trend which saw the record for monthly attendances in the department broken by almost 200 last month.
Ms McConnell said weekend acute presentations and a full hospital from last week were the main contributors.
"Our strategies to reduce occupancy such as cancellation of elective medical/surgery procedures and additional beds opened, is not enough to manage the 40 beds required overnight," she said.
"It reduces our ability to receive inter-hospital transfers, referrals and other direct admissions."
In a memo to staff, Ms McConnell said clinical teams needed to accelerate transfers back to patients' home hospitals to allow the hospital to manage acute admissions.
The emergency department last month saw 4779 patients up from 4455 in August 2007 and nearly 200 more than the previous month's record in March this year of 4585 patients.
"We've opened more beds but unrelenting acute numbers and an overall increase in length of stay are contributing factors," Ms McConnell said.
- NZPA
