Monday 12 January 2015: Happy New Year! If you’re back at work, welcome back – didn’t the holidays fly past? If you are still off (what are you doing reading this?), I hope your batteries are well on the way to being recharged – we need you at your best when you return. If you’ve been here through the holiday period, you have my sincere thanks and that of the people who needed care. Hopefully your break is still to come. If so, make the most of your time off, you’ve earned it. I understand it’s been a mixed bag across our health system over the Christmas period. Welcome seasonal respite for some, business as usual for others and a busier, more challenging time in some areas – but none that couldn’t be predicted. So here’s a round-up of those pressure points:
Christmas and New Year have once again been busy times for the Emergency Department. With the good weather and people enjoying the holidays and festive spirit, as well as most general practices being closed over the period, we saw that inevitable increase in presentations to the Emergency Department. As always the ED team responded to the challenge, and managed superbly, aided by cooperation of the inpatient teams who ensured smooth patient flow to the wards.
And while general practice may have been quieter than usual, Pegasus Health’s 24 Hour Surgery was not. No less than 3832 patients sought after hours care between Christmas Eve and January 4, 2015. The surgery saw a growth of approximately 400 patients over the same holiday period the previous year, reaching a record 50 patients per hour at one stage. These numbers reflect the demand for after hours care and illustrates the vital and ever increasing support the 24 Hour Surgery provides to the Canterbury community each holiday season – and throughout the year.
Specialist Mental Health Services (SMHS) too were very busy over the Christmas period, working hard to provide the right support to ensure people using services had the best holiday period possible. The management team specifically asked me to relay their thanks to staff who went the extra mile and for those special seasonal touches. The photo below is of Santa and his elves in the Te Whare Mauri Ora unit on Christmas morning. Santa visited Hillmorton and Mother Christmas visited the SMHS Units on the The Princess Margaret Hospital site.
It was a game of two halves for birthing facilities who had a quieter day on Christmas Day and a busier period over New Year. Thanks to the staff, already stretched, who assisted families with sharing their proudest moment through the media. You can’t get much more ‘pure good news’ than a shiny new baby story and they are always uplifting to read.
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