The intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital is filled five times in three months, with even more pressure

Five times in the last three months, there have been more patients than beds in the intensive care unit of Christchurch Hospital.

The terrorist attack of March 15th had an impact, but the ICU often operated beyond its capacity, it is in April and May, when almost all the survivors left. Things understands that one of the five opportunities was related to admissions related to the use of synthetic drugs.

The problem is a reflection of the larger capacity constraints at the hospital, where the Canterbury District Health Council (CDHB) predicts a deficit of about 60 beds this winter. The health committee also subcontracted up to eight operating rooms a day to ensure maintenance of services.

A flawless stayThe ICU has 23 beds, but the unit was forced to accommodate patients using other facilities and hospital staff. During the five periods of this year, the number of patients in care varied between 24 and 26.

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CDHB General Manager David Meates said every time the unit regained capacity of less than 100% in 12 hours. When the USI exceeded its maximum capacity, the CDHB had to refer patients from its district who would normally travel to Canterbury to other units in the country.

The delayed Christchurch Hospital, the Hagley Building, due to open in November, includes an expanded ICU and 12 operating rooms. Meates has already indicated that, due to a series of factors, including population growth and the planned demolition of another hospital building, this will not increase the capacity of the DHB.

An ongoing planning process with the Department of Health is studying future infrastructure needs on the Christchurch Hospital Campus. One of the options discussed earlier was the construction of a third tower at Christchurch Hospital in the Hagley Building.

Meates said the delays in the project, which was originally scheduled to open last year, contributed to the lack of beds expected this winter.

"These delays put significant pressure on Canterbury's health care system, which is already operating at physical capacities that are sometimes even better than those in place."

Last winter, a steady stream of admissions pushed the occupation to hospital to saturation. There has been a resurgence of the first cases of influenza this year, including several hospitalizations.

The CDHB had put in place a series of systems and processes to deal with additional pressures on the health system throughout the winter, Meates said. An increasing number of people were receiving care in the community rather than at the hospital, thus helping to relieve some of the pressures.

"In the last year, more than 32,000 people who would normally have been managed in the hospital were treated at home, which is managed by their general medical team."

With this approach, Canterbury had an average of 30% fewer hospitalizations than the rest of the country. General practitioners were encouraged to perform minor surgeries and community nursing teams managed the patients at home, Meates said.