BHB moves to Alert Level 2

Wednesday 19 March 2025: This afternoon, the actions of staff to free up six additional acute care beds by putting two medically fit for discharge patients in two of the larger acute care wing inpatient rooms, as well as a number of other patients being ready to be discharged safely, has improved the situation at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital from an unprecedented peak of 34 people waiting for inpatient beds yesterday (Tuesday).

As of this afternoon there were 20 people waiting for an inpatient bed, although eight of them now have beds assigned, meaning that there is a bed becoming available in the near future. As operations were normalising, it has been decided to move BHB to Alert Level 2, which means that we are still on alert but no longer in an active response mode.

Acting Chief of Staff Dr Anna Neilson-Williams noted, “Our staff have done a fantastic job to manage the current pressure. While there was a required crisis response yesterday, our focus is still on finding ways to reduce the pressure where we can. We also appreciate the support and collaboration of patients, families and healthcare partners as we worked though managing these issues.”

A trial is already underway by the Digital Health department who are testing remote monitoring devices that could mean people do not need to be admitted, or can be discharged earlier if they are generally well enough but still need some level of monitoring. A taskforce comprising BHB doctors and nurses is also looking at other possible solutions that might not resolve the significant external issues regarding community support and care, but may help make improvements internally, or will strengthen BHB’s ability to escalate during peaks.