SCDHB

Statement from Chris Fleming, Chief Executive -

The following update comes from the Emergency Operations Centre following a meeting this morning.

Timaru Hospital was generally quiet over night. Five patients and their families who drove down from Christchurch arrived at the Emergency Department during the night seeking medical help. They were treated for minor to moderate injuries and were discharged.

Christchurch Hospital has notified us to expect the first patient transfer today. The patient is recovering from surgery and needs a high level of care. The surgery was for a medical condition unrelated to the earthquake.

Due to the cancellation of elective surgery at Timaru Hospital today, there are 76 beds available at Timaru Hospital and a further 17 beds at Bidwill Hospital. The process of deciding which patients can be safely transferred, and how to transport them, is currently being addressed by Christchurch Hospital staff. Further patient transfers are expected and more will be known later today.

The Jean Todd Maternity Ward is on standby to receive secondary maternity patients who need hospital care and live in Ashburton and areas south of Christchurch. These patients would normally be cared for in Christchurch.

The Timaru Hospital laundry will also be receiving about three tonnes of dirty laundry from Christchurch Hospital today. The Christchurch Hospital laundry is out of action and the Timaru Hospital laundry will be cleaning about 50 percent of Christchurch Hospital laundry until further notice. Additional staff have been called in to deal with the extra workload.

A decision on whether elective surgery and outpatient appointments at Timaru Hospital will be further cancelled tomorrow will be announced at about 2pm.

We have also received a request for information about capacity in aged residential care in South Canterbury, with a view to taking rest home residents who need to be moved out of Christchurch.

Timaru Hospital has been receiving many phone calls from people wanting to donate blood or help in other ways. All blood collections in South Canterbury are carried out by the NZ Blood Service. The following message is from the NZ Blood Service website and we urge people to contact them directly.

"The Christchurch Blood Donor Centre will be closed until further notice. We have good supplies of blood in Christchurch and have supplies we can bring in from other centres. At this stage we are fine for blood stocks, but if the situation changes we will let people know through Facebook and our website. If you are not already a donor (e.g. not on our database) and would like to sign up to be contacted when we do need your donations, please call 0800 GIVE BLOOD (0800 448 325) or email donors.national@nzblood.co.nz with your name, phone number, email and town/city. Thanks for your support."

Please do not visit the Timaru Hospital Emergency Department unless it is an emergency.

While we know that family and friends will want to visit patients in hospital, we are also asking visitors to stay away unless their visit is essential, or alternately limit their visit time to help keep the hospital buildings and grounds clear.

On an administrative note – as the Timaru Hospital Education Centre is being used as a base for planning, other events booked at the centre have been postponed or relocated. 

Arlene Goss

Communications Manager, South Canterbury District Health Board

Private Bag 911, Timaru

Ph: 03 687 2395, Fax: 03 688 0238, Mobile:  027 276 4259