South Aucklanders who need urgent medical help are being urged to go to Middlemore Hospital as soon as possible.
Counties Manukau Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr Pete Watson, says the Emergency Department is open and it is critical that anybody needing urgent medical help gets it as soon as possible.
“The hospital is safe to attend. People should not delay seeking medical help – if they wait too long their condition may deteriorate,” he says.
“We know that Alert Level 4 and recent news about COVID patients at the hospital can be worrying. But we have strict processes in place to keep everyone safe.”
He says that when a patient arrives at the hospital’s emergency department they are carefully and fully assessed. If a patient has any COVID type symptoms, is a known positive or is suspected of having been exposed to COVID-19 either through contacts or locations of interest, they are managed in a dedicated pathway.
This pathway ensures all patients are kept separate from other patients for their hospital assessment and treatment, including in the Emergency Department, wards and intensive care units.
In line with COVID-19 guidelines all presentations to ED are socially distanced and adults are required to wear a mask. All staff are also required to wear the appropriate PPE, including N95 masks and goggles.
Dr Watson says that Middlemore Hospital is also testing a higher proportion of patients presenting to the ED than previously as a result of the greater precautionary approach required at this time.
“We are urging any of our community who are very unwell, to come to see the Emergency Department as soon as possible. We are here to provide safe, high level care to anyone who needs it, no matter what their medical requirements are.”