Health NZ on nationwide hospital capacity challenges

An emergency department doctor working in Palmerston North said he believes some decisions are being made to prioritise Government discharge targets over ideal healthcare. Government targets set a goal for hospitals to admit and discharge 95 percent of patients within six hours. The trend has been slowly increasing toward that, with 74.2 percent in December. Health NZ Group Director of Operations at Counties Manukau Dr Vanessa Thornton spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.