Southland Hospital physicians have proposed a new medical assessment unit to deal with increasing demand in the emergency department of the Invercargill hospital.
Internal medicine clinical leader Prosen Ghosh gave a presentation to the commissioner team's monthly meeting yesterday, held in Invercargill.
Dr Ghosh said the proposed six-bed unit would drastically cut waiting times for some patients. GPs could refer patients to the medical assessment unit. The unit would require extra staffing, but would not require construction work.
Dr Ghosh said his physician team backed the idea, and he had canvassed nurses and other staff, too. The team worked hard to cope with ever-increasing admissions, but had reached the limit of what could be achieved without a new approach.
Dr Ghosh said he disagreed with the idea of GPs referring patients straight into wards, which has also been suggested. There was potential "danger'' in that approach, and he warned it could mean beds were tied up unnecessarily.
In the proposed unit, an ED nurse would be present for triage, and the patient would be assessed by a senior doctor.
The presentation appeared to be well received by the commissioner team, but they did not indicate whether it would be approved.
Commissioner Kathy Grant asked if the unit was "all or nothing'' or could be done in steps, and Dr Ghosh said his preference was to set it up in its proposed six-bed form.