Statement attributable to Dr Dale Bramley, Health New Zealand Chief Executive
With nurses across the country striking for 24 hours from 9am today, Health New Zealand is asking the public to support our services by reserving our Emergency Departments for emergencies only.
We estimate that about 4,300 planned procedures and specialist appointments have had to be postponed as a result of today’s strike.
Patient safety will remain our priority throughout the strike, and we have plans in place to ensure the continued delivery of health services.
During the strike we are encouraging people requiring non-emergency care to contact their GP or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 in the first instance, because we need to keep EDs for emergencies only.
Our hospitals are always busy at this time of the year managing increased demand due to winter illness and we plan for this. The strike will put extra pressure on our teams and facilities and that is why we need to keep EDs for emergency care only.
As is standard practice in our EDs, patients presenting will be prioritised based on clinical need. This means that during the strike patients triaged as being non-urgent may face a significant delay in being seen.
I want to extend my sincere thanks to all our hospital staff working today to support clinical services, including the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members who will be on shift today to ensure the delivery of life-preserving services.
Our advice for all patients is:
- people requiring non-emergency care should contact their GP or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 in the first instance, because we need to keep EDs for emergencies only
- the strike will put extra pressure on our teams and facilities and that is why we need to keep EDs for emergency care only
- as is standard practice in our EDs, patients presenting will be prioritised based on clinical need. During the strike patients triaged as being non-urgent may face a significant delay in being seen
- all emergency departments will remain open and hospital patients will receive safe care
- unless you are contacted directly, please attend any scheduled outpatient appointment or treatment.