Some patients face 24-hour wait at Wellington Hospital emergency department
Wellington Hospital in New Zealand is facing severe emergency department overcrowding, with some patients waiting over 24 hours for care. Health officials and nursing unions have cited staffing shortages and bed capacity issues as primary causes.
Why it matters
Reflects broader systemic challenges in public healthcare infrastructure and the strain on emergency services during winter months.
Patients presenting at Wellington Hospital's emergency department have faced wait times of more than 24 hours to be seen this month.
An ED nurse said, on a recent Monday night shift, one man fell asleep and hit his head, while waiting 12 hours to be seen.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the current situation in Wellington ED was unacceptable, as it continued to be one of lowest-performing in the country, while Health NZ said the hospital was under extreme winter pressure, and very long waits occurred for complex circumstances and weren't the experience of most patients.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) delegate said she feared speaking out would result in repercussions - RNZ agreed not to name her for this reason.
She said, on the overnight shift on Monday 17 August, the hospital escalated to Code Red several times.
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