Update on Regional Emergency Response to Christchurch Quake

MEDIA UPDATE
For Immediate Release
Friday 4 March 2011


Update on Regional Emergency Response to Christchurch Earthquake

Issued on behalf of:
Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB)
Auckland District Health Board (ADHB)
Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB)
Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS)
Northland District Health Board (NDHB)

Today’s media update on the emergency response and support from the Counties Manukau, Auckland and Waitemata DHBs, Northland DHB and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. Each organisation’s Incident Management Team continues to work closely to support Canterbury at this time. We are endeavouring to provide regular regional media updates . Thank you for your patience.

Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB)

CMDHB has been mostly involved in the placement of dialysis patients and aged care patients. We will also be taking Christchurch patients who need to have non-deferrable surgery, such as for cancer.

Renal Dialysis patients who could not continue to Dialyse in Christchurch either because of damage to accommodation or, more importantly, because of the lack of clean water , came up to Auckland on a NZRAF plane and were co-ordinated by our Dialysis Department who arranged for them to be allocated to all four DHBs in the northern region. They will be here for some weeks at least. Most of this group were accompanied by a family member or caregiver. CMDHB is currently providing Dialysis for 7 patients

Next to come our way was a large group of Aged care patients from Damaged Rest Homes in Christchurch . Many elderly people had been sent to South Island rest homes, and we linked in, to help relieve some of the pressures down there. These transfers involved not only the patients, but often their wheel chairs and walking frames (15 all together). A group of intellectually disabled people were also catered for and are now settled in CMDB locations (16 in total).

We have had a total of five Christchurch patients who have required Hospital treatment – 2 have now been discharged.

CMDHB is also in the process of sending staff to Christchurch to assist. Three have already gone and many other volunteers have been collated onto a data base and will be contacted as soon as Christchurch identify there.

Auckland District Health Board (ADHB)

Staff

Information about who has been deployed or is in Christchurch :

• a neonatal nurse is there
• two more will go Sunday
• an orthopaedic consultant, is there
• the total ADHB staff deployed to date is 35
• a doctor and a clinical director/cardiologist are returning from Christchurch today

Patients

The patient roster is being split into categories. These are hospital-to-hospital transfers and community. The community category covers those ex-Chrsitchurch people who have presented and have been discharged and those who have presented and been admitted.

Hospital-hospital

We have:
• 5 children
• 2 adults

Community (ex-Christchurch)
• 21 patients presented, were treated and were discharged
• 3 patients presented and were admitted

Capacity:

• 92% adult (41 beds free)
• 99% children (1 bed free)
• 86% women's (15 beds free)

Intensive care capacity:
• Dept Critical Care Medicine 7 beds (of 14)
• Surgical High Dependency Unit 1 beds (of 4)
• Cardio-Vascular Intensive Care Unit 15 beds (of 16)
• Paediatric Intensive Care 2 beds (of 16)
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 0 (of 42)

Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB)

Waitemata DHB established an Emergency Operations Centre and maintained activity continuously since Tuesday 22 February. North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals have been clinically very busy throughout, providing service to our local population and for people from Christchurch .

Eleven people from Christchurch have been supported to receive dialysis treatment, 14 people have been cared for in a private hospital in the district and 20 patients with a Christchurch address have received hospital treatment, three only remain as inpatients. North Shore Hospital is prepared to receive patients needing surgical procedures over the next month as referred.

There has been high concern amongst staff about the disaster. A large number of staff have volunteered to go to work in Christchurch , wanting to offer their expertise and care to the injured, and support their colleagues. To their frustration, the offers of help from across New Zealand has meant that only five DHB staff have been deployed.

Health Liaison with Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management [CDEM] has supported people arriving on flights through Whenuapai over the past week. It has ensured that pregnant women or those with new babies were linked with appropriate midwifery services. Primary Care has developed consistent processes regionally so that any Christchurch resident can receive coordinated care through the general practices. Health needs have been assessed and appropriate referrals made for physical and psychological issues identified. There has been close involvement with the various Government agencies to ensure that the health and welfare needs are met for people staying for a short time or planning to remain for some time.

Work over the following weeks will continue to support Christchurch people presenting for health care and engage with other Government agencies to ensure that comprehensive services are available.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS)

Auckland Regional Public Health Service’s emergency response to the Christchurch Earthquake continues.

Staff deployment plans are in place Two Medical Officers of Health have been deployed to Christchurch today to work there over the weekend and next week. One Emergency Programme Supervisor will be deployed on Sunday and two Health Protection Officers will be deployed next week. Two other Medical Officers of Health previously deployed have now returned from Christchurch .

Rosters are continually being assessed as ongoing requests for public health physicians are made.

Our thanks go out to all those who have volunteered to be on standby for Christchurch . Public health issues will be ongoing and many need a long term response that may include ARPHS staff. ARPHS continues to assist the Department of Labour at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

Northland District Health Board (NDHB)
Canterbury patients transferred to Northland for care and treatment:
• 10 dialysis patients and 3 caregivers

Staff - Information about who has been deployed:
• 1 x medical officer of health
• 1 x social worker (based in West Coast)
• 2 x mental health nurse
• 1 x aged residential care nurse
• 1 x general practitioner (Pegasus Health)

Other information
• Elective surgery and outpatient appointments continue as normal.
• Today is Red & Black Day - Northland DHB staff are raising funds for NZ Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Our next regional update will be on Monday 7 March 2011. Thank you to all media outlets for your patience .

ENDS

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