The strike action will be involve a complete withdrawal of labour from all DHBs around the country from 11am to 7pm today.
Patient safety and wellbeing remains the highest priority and focus during this time, and contingency planning is in place at both Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs.
Like all DHBs, we will experience staffing gaps and will need to prioritise essential and acute services over others. This means that some planned services and outpatient appointments may need to be rescheduled. Affected patients have been notified accordingly.
Anyone unsure about their appointment can call HVDHB on 04 566 6999 to confirm, or to check on a patient in hospital. People can call CCDHB on 0508 4 22342 to confirm appointments, and 0508 964 677 to check on a patient.
The Emergency Departments (EDs) at both Wellington Regional Hospital and Hutt Hospital will remain open during the strike, however people are asked to call their GP or Healthline (0800 611 116) for advice in the first instance.
Anyone presenting to the Wellington ED will be assessed by a senior doctor on arrival – or a doctor or nurse at the Hutt ED – and be prioritised for treatment based on their assessed level of clinical need.
Someone assessed as not having an urgent need may be referred elsewhere or experience a significantly longer wait as ED will prioritise patients with urgent needs.
Media contact: Chas Te Runa – 027 230 9571
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