A woman waited over 16 hours at Waikato Hospital’s emergency department with suspected internal bleeding, only to be referred back to her GP.
A man in a wheelchair was in shock after suffering a heart attack earlier in the day.
About 25 patients in the waiting room helped care for the man, lifting him out of the wheelchair and onto a more comfortable chair.
Another case involved a pedestrian hit by a car, who took about 12 hours for an ultrasound that the police requested.
Another patient waited 90 minutes in an ambulance before being brought into the waiting room.
The ED is experiencing backlogs due to the need for more community care beds. Which is leading to a more significant number of sicker patients arriving there.
Wait times are very bad, with up to 10 or 12 hours to see a doctor, even for the most serious conditions.
Critical incidents have occurred where people are unable to get into a bed and become very unwell in the waiting room.
Patients can be in an ED bed for up to 48 hours without being able to get onto a ward, meaning ED staff cannot access new patients.
Some staff are burnt out and unable to give care properly, leading to frustration and anger. Disconnection is with Te Whatu Ora, causing a disconnect between the ED and the community.
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