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August 10, 2023
Health system working despite ramping
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 10, 2023
The chief medical officer for Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau says ambulances may be lined up outside emergency departments around the country, but those who need help most are getting it.
Dr Andrew Connolly confirms that some days Middlemore experiences ramping – where ambulances have to wait on the entrance ramp or in the carpark before discharging patients – but circumstances change every day.
He says the key thing is hospitals assess patients as soon as they arrive – and long waits in ED are not uncommon.
“If you come in on an ambulance having a heart attack you’re seen straight away. If you have something which actually, thankfully is more minor you may have to wait, so a lot of work going on to try to free our ambulances up so they can get back out on the streets and off to the next person but certainly a challenge at the moment,” he says.
Dr Connolly says staffing levels and the difficulties people are facing getting to see their GP or primary health provider are adding to pressure on emergency departments, but the settling of the nurses’ pay and pay equity agreements should bring some relief.
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