Dunedin Hospital emergency department nurses (from left) Anna Doherty, Anne Daniels, Sarah Ursan, and Julia Davidson await the observation unit's first patient yesterday afternoon, while charge nurse manager Justin Moore surveys the $2.7 million facility.
The 10-bed unit opens gradually to patients this week. Primarily, it would house people who otherwise spent hours "lying in corridors", Mr Moore said.
It made the ED experience more comfortable for some patients, while staff looked forward to channelling more patients through ED and speeding up waiting times.
Mr Moore expected the new unit to pose some initial challenges as staff got used to the addition to the department, but it was exciting for them too.
Staff coped "amazingly well" with the disruption during the construction phase.
The unit was an inpatient facility, meaning patients would be formally admitted. It would prove especially useful for housing elderly people overnight, Mr Moore said.
