Record number of emergencies for Rotorua Hospital

Rotorua Hospital's emergency department saw more patients this festive season than at any time in the past. Photo / File

Rotorua Hospital's emergency department has had its busiest day on record, with 144 people visiting the department in one 24-hour period.

Last week was "exceptionally busy" for the emergency department with January 2 going down as the busiest on record.

Emergency department clinical director Peter Freeman said while Christmas week was busy, the week of New Year's reached another level.

From Boxing Day until January 3 the emergency department dealt with more than 100 people a day.

Dr Freeman said staff had seen the full range of injuries from motor vehicle crashes to mountain bike injuries, motocross crashes, water-skiing injuries, and assaults.

Other injuries included people putting limbs through windows, falls and burns, thermal mud in eyes and even pranks like slapping someone over the ear which caused a ruptured ear drum.

Staff also dealt with intoxicated patients, he said.

The busiest day in Taupo was January 1 with 70 visits in total.

Dr Freeman said overall numbers of presentations to emergency departments in Rotorua and Taupo for the holiday period were about 6 per cent higher than last year.

Before the holiday period started, the hospital asked people to keep visits to emergency departments for urgent cases.

Dr Freeman said local residents with minor conditions often apologised to him for going to the emergency department but said it was either too expensive to go elsewhere or their GP was closed.

Traditionally, the department experiences a quieter period between the winter peak and the festive season, but this didn't happen last year.

In July, the emergency department recorded its busiest month, treating an average of 94 people a day.

That month, 2910 people went through the department as the hospital was hit by the seasonal onslaught of winter bugs.

A report to a recent meeting of the health board said just over half of people who presented at the emergency department were self-referred.

About one in six of those presenting, or 15 per cent, were taken in by the ambulance service and about one in eight were referred by a GP or Lakes Primecare.