Congratulations to the Hutt Valley Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team who have achieved two impressive milestones in the Critical Care Expansion project. This project is growing our district’s ICU, High Dependency Unit and Patient At Risk Services under the 2021 Government investment programme to increase critical care capacity across New Zealand.
“We expected Hutt ICU would increase from three beds to six towards the end of 2023/24. However, thanks to the team’s focus on recruitment and training they have been caring for patients in five beds, and expect this will increase to six beds consistently in the coming months,” said Kaye Hudson, General Manager, Hospital Flow and Co-Chair, Critical Care Expansion project.
“The team has also gained Foundation Training Accreditation from The College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand, which means staff are able to register any training we provide them. This is a real asset when recruiting for more clinical staff in the tight employment market, and with many districts also expanding their critical care teams.”
Gaining accreditation involves an assessment of the current patient care provided and evidence that we have the required staffing levels to deliver an education programme, as well as the technical facilities and spaces needed to provide critical care and training. This includes spaces and services for whānau who play a key role in supporting a patient’s recovery.
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