"Absolutely full": Emergency departments in crisis with resources struggling to keep up with demand

There are worries people are spending far too long waiting in Emergency Departments as demand surges. 

An Australasian College of Emergency Medicine report finds admissions around the country have risen 21% in the past decade, surging past our 13% population growth. 

It finds there are rising numbers of seriously unwell patients. 

Waikato Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist John Bonning told Mike Hosking some patients are waiting 24 hours in EDs, with resources tight. 

He says this will be a result of things like a lack of in-patient beds, as well as inadequate staff numbers.

Bonning says a range of things has added up – the population is aging, people are getting sicker, and there are unmet needs elsewhere in the sector, so people are ending up in EDs. 

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