The source said children were in the waiting room when staff scrambled to try to save the patient.<\/p>\n
Brown didn\u2019t comment on what happened before the patient\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the person who has died,\u201d he told the Herald.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Simeon Brown.<\/p>\n
He said Health New Zealand (HNZ) will carry out a \u201crapid clinical review\u201d to establish exactly what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe individual\u2019s family will rightly want answers, and Health New Zealand has assured me that they will get them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have asked to be kept closely informed of the rapid clinical review\u2019s findings, and I have been clear that the family must be supported and kept fully informed every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
HNZ has been approached for comment. <\/p>\n
The death comes after the Herald revealed on Monday<\/a> that staff had serious concerns about patient safety and long waits.<\/p>\n New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate Tracy Chisholm said on June 8 the ED was overwhelmed with 300 patient presentations \u2013 the busiest she\u2019d seen the ED in her career.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the worst day I\u2019ve seen in 18 years. It was standing room only. <\/p>\n \u201cWe brought out extra chairs … and there were still people standing. It was at capacity,\u201d she told the Herald.<\/p>\n Health New Zealand\u2019s<\/a> executive regional director Chris Lowry confirmed 301 patients arrived on June 8, which was \u201cvery unusual\u201d and a number not seen since March last year.<\/p>\n Dr Michael Connelly, New Zealand National Council for the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine chair, said many EDs were operating at or above capacity amid \u201cpersistent\u201d staff shortages, and \u201cmaldistribution\u201d of staff.<\/p>\n He said ED overcrowding was increasing due to an ageing patient population, and ongoing issues with \u201cbed block\u201d \u2013 when those waiting in EDs can\u2019t be admitted because hospital wards are full.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAccess block [bed block] puts enormous pressure on EDs and is a serious health risk to the public,\u201d Connelly told the Herald.<\/p>\n Figures obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act (OIA) show that from September 2024 to December 2025, the total number of ED staff across all 20 health districts nationally increased by 294, from 5527 to 5821.<\/p>\n However, while the national total, which includes corporate staff, was edging upwards, the data shows some districts saw a decrease in frontline staff such as nurses and senior medical officers.<\/p>\nTracy Chisholm is a delegate for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and has worked at Waikato Hospital’s Emergency Department for 18 years. Photo \/ Mike Scott <\/p>\n
Dr Michael Connelly is an emergency medicine physician who chairs the Aotearoa New Zealand National Council for the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM).<\/p>\n