Wellington Hospital closes off part of corridor for extra beds

Wellington Hospital's emergency department has closed off part of a corridor this week to accommodate extra beds as patient numbers remain high.

Health NZ acting interim group director of operations for Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley Robert Blaikie said: "At times when there is high occupancy [in ED], steps are taken to temporarily increase capacity by placing up to four beds in a corridor outside the ED observation unit for stable patients awaiting admission or discharge."

"A nurse is assigned to this area for monitoring," he said. "To minimise disruption and create privacy for these patients, access to the corridor is temporarily restricted."

This winter had brought a significant increase in presentations to emergency departments across the country, he said.