Christchurch emergency department observation unit opens four years after construction

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said there was an additional $4.2 million in funding for operations and staffing of the unit, “but this will be at least partly offset by a reduction in hospital admissions”.

Gilbert said that while the unit exists, it has been unusable for the past four years, which has frustrated him.

“Emergency department observation units have proven to be a very effective model of care. They benefit the emergency department, the hospital, the patients and the staff. So it was very frustrating to have this area built and no one to look after it. We are delighted to have been given the go-ahead to open it.”

Gilbert said the observation group bridges the gap between patients who need emergency care and those who need to be admitted to the hospital.

He said the department allows them to observe patients longer while they are in treatment, such as waiting to see if treatment is working or completing observation after a head injury.

“There may be someone with kidney stones, and we’re waiting to see if pain medications and other medications are working. There may be other medical issues, like allergic reactions, overdoses. And there are seniors who are about to need to be admitted to the hospital, who can come here and receive specialized allied health services to get them home.”

Gilbert said without this emergency department, many patients would have been admitted to the hospital or forced to wait in the emergency room hallway.

He said there were many benefits to not taking in unwanted people.

“If you’re admitted, you’re usually here overnight, at least 24 to 36 hours, it’s just the rhythm of hospital rounds and things like that.

“Here, we’re on the ground 16 to 18 hours a day making high-level decisions, and we’re able to make those decisions late at night or even in the early hours of the morning.”

“It’s good for hospitals, with fewer admissions and less overcrowding. It helps reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms, which is good for patients, too,” he said.

“If you don’t need to be in hospital, then the hospital is not a good place to be. Especially for elderly patients. We know that elderly patients in hospital are more likely to be confused, they are more likely to fall, and they lose leg strength. If we can get them home and provide some paramedical support and follow-up support at home, then it’s a better place for them to be.”

The unit is currently closed at night, but Gilbert said it will be open 24/7 once the hospital tests and fine-tunes all of its procedures and is fully staffed.

He said the department was fully staffed with doctors and 90 per cent of the nurses it needed, but was still “recruiting” new staff.

He expects the force to move to around-the-clock operations in the coming weeks.

Minister says force ‘will make a real difference’

Health Minister Shane Reti said the unit should have been able to open in 2020 alongside the new emergency department, but its staffing had not been a priority by successive Labour ministers, the then-DHBs or subsequent internal budgets of the Ministry of Health.

“This is exactly what I want the New Zealand Ministry of Health to focus on in the future: delivering frontline services and improving outcomes for patients and staff.

“Its opening will make a real difference to the people of Christchurch – the observation unit bridges the gap between acute care and full admission, reducing pressure on emergency departments.”

Reti said their goal is to have 95% of patients admitted, discharged or transferred from the emergency room within six hours, adding that initiatives like this will help achieve that goal.

“I agree with clinicians that observation rooms should be an ongoing part of the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s work plan to improve emergency department processing times in other locations.”

Labor’s health spokeswoman and former health minister Ayesha Verrall said Labor was very concerned about the workforce, which is why the current government paused filling vacancies and placing nursing staff when it came to power.

“Like the new hospital on Auckland’s North Shore, we plan to fund more staff and pay them what they deserve so that when the wards open, the facilities are ready for use.

“Once again, Sean Retty is trying to deflect attention from the fact that he knows the health system needs more money but can’t get it from his own government.”