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NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

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  • NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

    Please keep in mind that the "code red" only applies to these specific hospitals, it is not the NZ national alert level.


    Retired nurses asked to help at stretched hospitals

    5:55PM Thursday July 19, 2007

    Two Wellington hospitals have called on retired nurses to help out after a surge in winter illness forced them to declare 'Code Reds'.

    Wellington Hospital and Kenepuru Community Hospital said said sickness had led to reduced staffing levels and increased demand for services.

    It is not unusual for hospitals to issue a Code Red, but this was the first time the Capital & Coast District Health Board (DHB) had issued one in 2007, said Robyn Toomath, a director of clinical support services at the DHB.

    "As of today we are around 20 nurses down compared to our usual staffing levels, primarily due to illness.

    "We would be delighted to hear from any qualified nurses in the community who are between jobs, are on extended leave or are semi-retired, who might be able to help fill in, or to do some short term work for us," said Dr Toomath.

    They should contact Steve Crew in the Patient Services Coordination Unit.

    The hospitals can still cope with urgent cases, but less urgent cases may be in for a longer-than-usual wait. Some elective surgery is also being postponed.

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    Dr Toomath said the problem was a combination of increased demand for services and decreased availability of staff to meet those demands.

    "We have physical beds available, but we can't admit patients unless there are appropriate levels of staff to safely resource those beds."

    The message to the public was ` `please save our Emergency Department for emergencies", she said.

    Often a general practitioner could offer a quicker consultation without the need to attend hospital.

    "We want to be able to focus our Emergency Department resources on patients who genuinely need hospital-level care."

    If people had doubts they could call Healthline for free advice from a registered nurse. The Healthline toll-free number is 0800 611-116.

    - NZPA





    Call for help at Wellington Hospital

    Jul 19, 2007

    Wellington Hospital is asking any retired or out-of-work nurses to come forward to help cope with the winter rush.

    The hospital has declared it is in 'code red' because of a nurse shortage.

    Its emergency department can only cope with people requiring urgent care and there are long waits.

    "At the moment we're 20 nurses down because the nurses, like everybody else in the community, are tired and they're getting sick," says Capital and Coast District Health Board spokesperson Dr Robyn Toomath.

    "If there are nurses out there in the community who have a practicing certificate and would like to work a shift or two with us in Wellington Hospital, we'd love to hear from them".

    The hospital's code red status also means some elective surgery is being postponed.
    Last edited by hawkeye; July 20, 2007, 07:31 AM. Reason: update

  • #2
    Re: NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

    Nursing Shortage Happens Every Winter: NZNO
    4:51 pm, 19 Jul 2007

    The Nurses Organisation says the Code Red situation at Wellington and Kenepuru hospitals could have been avoided.

    The Capital and Coast District Health Board has issued an urgent call for nurses, as many of its own staff are off work with winter illnesses.

    It says it has the bed space to cope with the increased patient demand experienced recently, but does not have enough nurses to care for any extra patients.

    The Nurses Organisation's industrial advisor, Glenda Alexander, says this happens almost every winter.

    She says enlisting nurses not currently in the work force may actually put more strain on services, as existing staff will have to help them get up to speed with the hospital's procedures.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

      Wellington hospitals declared 'code red'
      | Thursday, 19 July 2007

      Wellington Hospital and Kenepuru Community Hospital are calling up retired nurses as reinforcements for sick staff.

      The two hospitals declared a "Code Red" today. No, it is not war - it is the winter peak season in the health sector. The hospitals don't have the capacity to meet expected demand.

      Capacity is reduced at the two Wellington hospitals because about 20 nurses are sick and demand is up because of winter-related illnesses.

      It is not unusual for hospitals to issue a Code Red, but this was the first time the Capital & Coast District Health Board (DHB) had issued one in 2007, said Robyn Toomath, a director of clinical support services at the DHB.

      "As of today we are around 20 nurses down compared to our usual staffing levels, primarily due to illness.

      "We would be delighted to hear from any qualified nurses in the community who are between jobs, are on extended leave or are semi-retired, who might be able to help fill in, or to do some short term work for us," said Dr Toomath.

      They should contact Steve Crew in the Patient Services Coordination Unit.

      The hospitals can still cope with urgent cases, but less urgent cases may be in for a longer-than-usual wait. Some elective surgery is also being postponed.

      Dr Toomath said the problem was a combination of increased demand for services and decreased availability of staff to meet those demands.

      "We have physical beds available, but we can't admit patients unless there are appropriate levels of staff to safely resource those beds."

      The message to the public was "please save our Emergency Department for emergencies", she said.

      Often a general practitioner could offer a quicker consultation without the need to attend hospital.

      "We want to be able to focus our Emergency Department resources on patients who genuinely need hospital-level care."

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

        The Ministry of Health website pandemic alert status is white



        Current alert status: Code White

        For planning purposes the different stages of the health response in an influenza pandemic have been grouped and defined with colour codes: Code White, Code Yellow, Code Red and Code Green.

        More information on these alert codes is included in the New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Action Plan. In summary the codes mean:

        Code White is information/advisory only, used in the planning stages of pandemic preparedness and for notification to the health sector of areas of concern overseas.

        Code Yellow is a standby phase, used to alert the health sector when there has been a significant development in the virus overseas, or single isolated cases in New Zealand.

        Code Red is the response phase, used to alert the health sector that they should activate their response plans.

        Code Green is to notify the health sector to standdown response and move into the recovery phase.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: NZ: Hospitals issue "code red" due to nurse shortage

          they better give the light-wavelengths instead of the color names
          so we can better compare and have more intermediate values.

          same for WHO-phases, .. all alert levels.

          I do see a tendency to make clear things less precise
          so to reduce information content
          I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
          my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

          Comment

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