To our Community Providers Both Tauranga and Whakatāne Hospitals are currently experiencing significant high demand across all areas of the hospital. This demand is a result of overall increased acute patient demand on our hospital services, including the emergency department. We are aware that you are likely to be experiencing similar pressures. The Bay of Plenty DHB is one of many DHBs around the country experiencing the same heightened need. We expect the response to continue for at least next 48 hours. We ask our community partners to be patient with us while we treat the urgent presentations both within the hospital and the emergency department. The Bay of Plenty DHB is currently looking at ways to reduce pressure in the system. Actions we have taken: Set up a co-ordinated incident management team Deferred non- urgent planned care Deferred non-clinical activity Redeployed staff to areas of high need Sent a message to the community
Request for support: Please refer GP patients to our Hospitals as early in the day as possible and ask patients to attend straight away rather than defer to later in the day Please be aware of the following services that might offer alternative options for your patients: • Acute medical clinic – if your patient could be managed by being seen within a few days in a medical clinic rather than being send in acutely, speak to the APU physician on call suggesting this option. • Specialists are available in Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases, Renal Medicine for phone advice via the hospital switchboard. Please consider if specialist advice might offer an alternative to sending in acutely. Communicate to patients that there may be some delays and/or wait times for non-urgent issues. Please ask patients to bring the following to smooth their stay: • Medication • Change of clothes to either wear or go home in. • Appropriate footwear to allow mobilisation when in hospital. Due to the increase of hospital admissions with RSV the DHB is asking parents and caregivers to keep all tamariki at home, unless they are presenting as patients. Please don’t bring children into the hospital. We ask that there be two visitors for each patient at any one time. More than two can visit, but only two at a time. If for compassionate reasons you would like more visitors at one time, please discuss this with the on duty nurse manager.
Ngā mihi Michelle Cullinane Integrated Operations Centre Manager |Bay of Plenty District Health Board | Hauora a Toi Phone: 0273241962