Last month, 1004 people were seen at Gore Hospital’s emergency department, setting a record number for the hospital, and far above the 876 seen in the previous month.
CEO Karl Metzler said the increase was a symptom of the times brought about by a multitude of cascading issues.
‘‘For a number of years now we’ve talked about the ageing population [and] the pressure that’s going to come with that.
‘‘That often comes with a lot of complex and comorbid health issues.
‘‘We’ve talked about the need for the government to fill the workforce pipeline in a more measured, strategic way.’’
The cost of living was another contributing factor, he said.
‘‘Often it’s very costly to seek health in primary care.’’
‘‘I need our community to be just a bit more patient and understanding if they have a longer wait time, because the volumes are significantly increased,’’ he said.
Mr Meztler said when he started working at the hospital about 15 years ago, 70% of emergency department presentations were accident or injury related.
Now it was a 50/50 split with medical issues, due to older and sicker patients needing medical attention, he said.
Mr Metzler said patients were not turning up for ‘‘flippant reasons’’, adding the the people of Eastern Southland were ‘‘very good and very astute’’ at judging when to go to hospital.
‘‘I think our community should be commended; they don’t misuse or overuse the ED. The people who present here genuinely are needing acute care.
‘‘I don’t want to sow doubt in people’s minds when they’re unwell ... you should always seek medical assistance or advice if you need it. If in doubt, come in, but just be aware of the potential wait times with the volume coming through.’’
