Health New Zealand has announced 28 new staff will be added to the Nelson Hospital Emergency Department after an extension of the unit was opened earlier this month.
The new roles will include senior doctors, nurses, health care assistants, allied health, psychiatric liaison, Hauora Māori, cleaners, orderlies and administration.
The Emergency Department (ED) expansion will increase capacity from 23 beds to 29 and assist with bed block – when patients get stuck in the ED because a ward bed isn’t available.
The head of the ED Dr Harriet Harper told 1News at the time of the opening that staffing had been an ongoing discussion and a business case had been submitted. But there had been concern that, unless there were more staff, the new beds wouldn’t be able to be used.
Health New Zealand’s interim group director of operations for Nelson Marlborough Jo Gibbs said in a statement recruitment for the new roles has begun and start dates will be staggered throughout 2026.
“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,” Gibbs said.
But there’s concerns ongoing staffing issues aren’t being addressed. (Source: 1News)
A week after the ED expansion was opened, staff sent 1News a photo of water leaking into the corridor with buckets and towels on the floor.
In a statement last Friday, a Health New Zealand spokesperson said: “There was a short-lived leak in a non-patient area. The leak was caused by a floor waste gully in the plant room that had not been fully sealed. All issues were resolved immediately on site and patient care was not impacted”.
In addition to the new ED roles, three new senior doctors and 12 new junior doctors will be added to Nelson Hospital.
Senior doctors went public earlier this year about the impact low staffing was having on patients, sparking a scathing review by Health New Zealand.
The review found significant staffing issues at the hospital, as well as issues with culture and the leadership structure.
