Nelson Hospital staffing boost underway for emergency department

Recruitment for 28 new emergency department roles is underway at Nelson Hospital following the opening of its expanded ED earlier this month.

In July, Health New Zealand released the full findings of the Clinical Quality and Systems Review into concerns raised at Nelson Hospital.

Key recommendations included increasing staff numbers to help manage hospital demand and capacity - including access to ED care, as well as creating a sustainable clinical workforce and addressing long-term vacancies in both senior and junior medical roles.

“We are committed to improving the community’s access to timely, quality healthcare, and this staffing boost will help patients needing emergency care to be seen more quickly,” says Jo Gibbs, Health New Zealand Interim Group Director of Operations for Nelson Marlborough.

This current tranche of roles was approved in early November, coinciding with the opening of Nelson Hospital’s expanded emergency department, which included an increase in treatment spaces from 23 to 29. Recruitment for 28 permanent full-time ED roles has already started and will continue into the new year.

“The roles include senior doctors, nurses, health care assistants, allied health, psychiatric liaison, Hauora Māori, cleaners, orderlies and administration,” says Jo. “Start dates are expected to be staggered throughout 2026, depending on the roles, and we look forward to welcoming all new staff to the team.

“In the meantime, I want to thank our fantastic ED team who always work hard to deliver the best patient care possible,” she says. "We are working with local teams to further boost staffing numbers as quickly as we can and continue to make good progress." In addition to the 12 registrar roles announced in September, three Senior Medical Officer roles are being recruited to - one each for general medicine, obstetrics & gynaecology and ED - with start dates expected over the next few months.

To ensure all recommendation of the Review are carried out, an Implementation Committee was set up earlier this year. The Committee is chaired by Dr Pete Watson, Health New Zealand Executive Regional Director – Te Waipounamu, working alongside regional and local Nelson Marlborough leadership and clinical staff.

Review Implementation Committee meetings continue to progress, and the four working groups, with great clinical involvement, have started to focus on actions for:

  • Leadership and clinical governance
  • Culture and wellbeing
  • Models of care
  • Access and waiting times

Further announcements regarding Nelson Hospital will be made in due course.