Simon O'Connor/Stuff
Taranaki hospital boss Gillilan Campbell says health services come under increased pressure during the winter months.
Gillian Campbell is the Te Whatu Ora interim hospital and specialist services lead, Taranaki
OPINION: We are in the opening week of winter which is time when our hospitals come under increasing pressure due to influenza (flu) and other respiratory illnesses brought on by winter.
The reality is nasty bugs, viruses and diseases spread much more easily during winter as we spend more time inside in close contact with each other.
While the temperatures haven’t plummeted yet, in the months leading into winter we’ve been getting our hospitals as ready as we can so our frontline staff aren’t overwhelmed with high presentations to our emergency departments (EDs).
Pre-Covid our EDs averaged 134 presentations each day of which 27% had to be admitted.
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This year, we are averaging 145 presentations each day of which 29% are being admitted and we have not yet hit our winter months when we expect these numbers to increase.
On top of this our staff also tell us just how much sicker and more complex the patients we are seeing on a daily basis are.
To keep our ED presentations and admissions to manageable levels, we all need higher rates of immunisation for a range of illnesses.
We are protecting our staff with an active flu vaccination programme. If they are off sick they can’t help you when you are sick.
Having high staff flu vaccination rates is a priority for all hospitals and I pleased to say currently Taranaki hospitals have the second-highest vaccination rates in the country.
While our staffing recruitment levels are steadily increasing to help us deal with winter hospitalisations our bed capacity is still a finite resource.
So, we need help from our community so we can help our most vulnerable this winter.
Te Whatu Ora has just launched our Go Well winter campaign. Its three main messages are:
Stay home if you’re sick or isolating for Covid-19, wear a mask in crowded spaces, and choose the best healthcare options.
This means taking a proactive approach to look after your health so there’s less chance of your health condition reaching a point where you need to be going to urgent care or being hospitalised.
There are a lot of ways you can care for yourself and others at home. For tips on treating common health conditions, and advice on when to seek more help, you can visit the Healthify website, which provides easy access to online, plain language health information and self-care resources.
Your next point of call could be your local pharmacist, who is a registered health professional.
Pharmacists can offer health advice on a wide range of common conditions and what kinds of medicine you might need.
They offer advice that you might have thought you had to see your GP for. These include coughs and colds, bladder infections, eye infections, minor cuts and grazes, the emergency contraceptive pill and a range of other health needs.
If you are feeling sick and worried, you can call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free medical advice 24/7 from registered health professionals and can also connect you with the health services you might need. Translation services are available.
To find pharmacies, GPs and Urgent Medical Care Centres open near you, visit the Healthpoint website for a comprehensive list of services and contacts.
Our hospitals are for when you have a medical emergency that is life-threatening such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding and pain. In that case, call 111 immediately, 24/7, or go directly to your nearest hospital’s Emergency Department at Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth or at Hawera Hospital.
Our frontline staff are truly incredible in their dedication to each and every patient, and the extra shifts they pick up when presentation numbers start to soar.
With our community proactively helping us with knowing their healthcare options and keeping high vaccination rates, our staff can help those of us who need help the most.
Gillian Campbell is the Te Whatu Ora interim hospital and specialist services lead, Taranaki
