Elective procedures were 30% behind plan at Dunedin Hospital last month, which was a direct result of the norovirus outbreak, Otago health bosses say.
From surgery waiting times falling behind target, to an increase in hazardous waste volumes, a wide range of services were affected by the four-week outbreak of the highly contagious virus.
More than 2000 elective procedures and outpatient appointments were postponed during the outbreak, which started at the beginning of last month and led to the hospital being locked down for one week.
In a report for today's Otago District Health Board hospital advisory committee meeting, operations manager Megan Boivin said elective activity was 30% below plan last month, compared with 7% below plan during July.
Outpatient activity was 15% below plan last month, compared with 1% above plan in July.
During the outbreak, 90% of all outpatient activity was postponed and this was the reason for the majority of the lowered activity.
Other effects of the norovirus outbreak included:
- Significant workload for the cleaning service, with staff completing more than 400 hours of terminal cleans during August.
- Hazardous waste volumes up 1941kg compared with July.
- Trades staff will have to be contracted to address a backlog of building and property jobs.
- The need for more isolation facilities in the intensive care unit highlighted again.
- Some cardiothoracic patients not receiving surgery within six months.
- High toll on internal medicine services, particularly in Ward 8A, with "sometimes apparently endless cleaning" for staff.
- Marked emergency department sick leave increase credited to winter ailments and staff with children sick with suspected norovirus.
- Radiology outpatient appointments impacted.
- Gastroenterology services showing effects of norovirus on services, especially for colonoscopies and patient's first specialist assessment.
