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Bay of Islands Hospital faces crisis as staff shortages force patients to be diverted to other hospitals

Bay of Islands Hospital news
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Doctors at Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa have reached their breaking point, warning that due to severe staffing shortages, any new patients this weekend and in the future will need to be sent to other hospitals.

The overworked doctors have been forced to prioritize the Emergency Department (ED), where two-thirds of the cases are potentially life-threatening, leaving the hospital’s 20-bed ward unable to admit new patients.

The situation mirrors the staffing crises at other Northland hospitals, such as Dargaville and Rāwene, highlighting a growing problem in the region’s healthcare system. Despite efforts to recruit and retain staff, the hospital has struggled with limited solutions, exacerbated by a nearly 50% pay cut for locum doctors in May.

Health New Zealand has acknowledged the challenges but disputes the extent of the crisis as described by the Bay of Islands doctors, according to a report in state media. While the doctors claim that ED presentations have nearly doubled over five years with senior staffing halved, Health NZ claimed ED patient numbers have increased by about 50%, with staffing currently at two-thirds of the budgeted level.

The situation remains dire, with the strain on rural hospitals like Bay of Islands and Dargaville causing overflow pressures on Whangārei Hospital’s emergency department, which is already operating at overcapacity.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks heaps Labour for destroying NZ Health. Would be nice to see this Govt actually fix these issues but I’m not optimistic 😕

  2. what a joke, a nurse is being made redundant from healthline but cannot get a job? why is that, because the those who are not medically trained are keeping their jobs and getting rid of the people that do the work NURSES WTF! the middle management and labour with their bs convid have created this atrocious mess! Thank god I don’t need medical help ever, funny that not one jab but never sick but I am watching my colleagues drop like flies – something def wrong with this picture…get lost who you murderers

  3. And who do we have as our electorate MP here in Whangarei? No less than the minister of Health.

    The guy that refuses to see what is right in front of his face. The guy who cowered and would not meet protesters here in Whangarei during 2021/2022 when mandates meant the loss of hundreds of workers in health, caring, education.

    Reti the coward. Get some balls and come clean!

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