Dunedin Hospital's emergency department had a particularly busy December but still performed reasonably well in keeping waiting times in check, Otago chief operating officer Vivian Blake told the hospital's advisory committee in Dunedin this week.
The department had 3340 attendances, 202 more than in December 2010. This was reasonably significant in terms of increased workload, and the department achieved 84.8% of patients being transferred or treated within six hours.
Last December, the department met the six-hour target with just 69% of the patients.
The department had been improving its result with the "6 Hours - It Matters!" initiative, with the aim of meeting the national 95% target.
Building the ED observation unit could have an adverse effect on waiting times over the next months, as it disrupted access to parts of the department. However, once in place, in August, it would add another 5%-10% of patients meeting the six-hour target, Mrs Blake believed.
Southland Hospital's emergency department also had a particularly busy December, largely due to more trauma cases, acting Southland chief operating officer Leanne Samuel said.
Southland Hospital had 2985 ED attendances compared with 2729 in December 2010, Ms Samuel said.
