A new report from the health unions APEX and NZRDA on the
state of New Zealand’s rural and community hospital system
has found many are operating well below capacity, even as
demand for emergency medical care and diagnostic services
rapidly increases.
The report ‘A
Great Little Hospital’- Inside New Zealand’s Rural and
Community Hospital System, highlights the need for
leadership of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand to pay
careful attention to how making better use of capacity in
rural hospitals could improve care for rural patients and
decompress overcrowded metropolitan hospitals.
findings of the report are:
emergency departments are under pressure – Across
12 rural hospitals between July 2023 and June 2025, patient
presentations increased by 4.7% however number of patients
who did not wait for treatment leapt
20%.Many rural hospitals have spare
capacity -. The average bed utilisation across
rural and community hospital networks was 79.5% –well
below the national average and under the recommended
best-practice threshold. Recent Health New Zealand data
shows that between 2023 and 2025, hospitals such as Tokoroa
(52.1%), Kaitāia (55.3%), and Ashburton (58.8%) used on
average just over half of their hospital beds each
month.Demand for diagnostic services is
growing – Radiology scanning and laboratory
testing volumes are rocketing upward, reflecting increasing
pressure on these services nationally.Rural
medical staffing is key – Sufficient medical
staffing remains the rate limiting step in providing timely
ED assessment, hospital admissions, care, and
discharges.Shifting to a 7-day service
model – Demand on clinical services –
particularly diagnostics, outpatient, and mental health –
continues to grow. Traditional models relying on call after
hours rosters are outdated and more investment in 7-day
rosters are required.
“Resident doctors and
allied health professionals tell us rural hospitals are
great places to work and train. However many of these
hospitals are not meeting patient needs or their full
potential due to a lack of focus on ensuring sufficient
medical staffing, diagnostic support and 7-day service
models,” said Dr Deborah Powell, National Secretary of
APEX and NZRDA.
“Getting more out of the hospital
network requires a focus on using existing capacity better,
as well as investing in expanding capacity in high demand
hospitals.”
“One of our members described their
workplace as ‘a great little hospital’ – and we hope
this report leads to a renewed focus on how we can improve
rural hospital services,” concluded Dr
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Original source: nz