Hospitals declare "code red" in Wellington, New Zealand
{{date|July 19, 2007}}
{{New Zealand}}The {{w|Capital and Coast District Health Board|Capital & Coast District Health Board}} today issued a "code red" for two [[Wellington City|Wellington]] hospitals. Both {{w|Wellington Hospital, New Zealand|Wellington Hospital}} and {{w|Kenepuru Hospital|Kenepuru Community Hospital}} have a staff shortage of about 20 nurses, and the hospital is calling on any help available.

Dr Robyn Toomath, director of clinical support services at the Health Board, is calling for "any qualified nurses in the community who are between jobs, are on extended leave or are semi-retired, who might be able to help fill in, or to do some short term work for us."

"As of today we are around 20 nurses down compared to our usual staffing levels, primarily due to illness" said Dr Toomath. "We have physical beds available, but we can't admit patients unless there are appropriate levels of staff to safely resource those beds."

The message to the general public was to "please save our Emergency Department for emergencies", she said. "We want to be able to focus our Emergency Department resources on patients who genuinely need hospital-level care."

Any qualified nurses who are willing to help at either of the two hospitals should contact Steve Crew in the Patient Services Coordination Unit, at the Capital and Coast District Health Board.

== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://nz.news.yahoo.com/070719/3/y6t.html
|title=Wellington hospitals put out SOS for nurses
|author=
|pub=New Zealand Press Association
|date=July 19, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10452592
|title=Retired nurses asked to help at stretched hospitals
|author=
|pub=The New Zealand Herald
|date=July 19, 2007}}

[[Category:Oceania]]
[[Category:New Zealand]]
[[Category:Wellington City]]
[[Category:Health]]

{{Publish}}
{{Archived}}
The Capital & Coast District Health Board today issued a "code red" for two Wellington hospitals. Both Wellington Hospital and Kenepuru Community Hospital have a staff shortage of about 20 nurses, and the hospital is calling on any help available.

Dr Robyn Toomath, director of clinical support services at the Health Board, is calling for "any qualified nurses in the community who are between jobs, are on extended leave or are semi-retired, who might be able to help fill in, or to do some short term work for us."

"As of today we are around 20 nurses down compared to our usual staffing levels, primarily due to illness" said Dr Toomath. "We have physical beds available, but we can't admit patients unless there are appropriate levels of staff to safely resource those beds."

The message to the general public was to "please save our Emergency Department for emergencies", she said. "We want to be able to focus our Emergency Department resources on patients who genuinely need hospital-level care."

Any qualified nurses who are willing to help at either of the two hospitals should contact Steve Crew in the Patient Services Coordination Unit, at the Capital and Coast District Health Board.
Oceania New Zealand Wellington City Health