Northland DHB expanding Hospital Emergency Department

Northland DHB expanding Whangarei Hospital Emergency Department

Construction to expand the capacity of the triage area (assessment area) at Whangarei Hospital’s Emergency Department will commence from Tuesday 27 October.

Patient feedback raised the need for increased privacy when presenting and throughout the triage process. This and other feedback has seen plans develop for a reconfiguration of the The project involves reconfiguring the main entrance to add four additional triage bays and improve flow through the busy service, providing improved privacy for patients and reducing waiting times.

General Manager, Medicine, Health of Older People, Emergency & Clinical Support Neil Beney said “Our current layout is not ideal, and staff have also raised the need for more space to triage patients.”

“ED is the first point of contact with many of our patients, so having an appropriate space to do this well is very important.”

As with any construction project, there will be some changes to access points to the department and thoroughfare. Signage will be in place to clearly direct all visitors around construction zones.

Works will be completed in stages to allow the department to remain open throughout the project with construction expected to be completed by December 23.

Whangarei Hospital continues to experience an increase in ED presentations, averaging 100 presentations per day, an increase of 13% from the previous year. 

Your GP is the best place for urgent care that is not critical or life threatening such as injuries to upper and lower limbs, broken bones, sprains, bruises and wounds.

You should always phone 111 for an ambulance if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Full project information, including regular updates, is available via

http://redevelopment.northlanddhb.org.nz/

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