Middlemore emergency department “unsafe” for patients and staff

The emergency department of one of New Zealand’s biggest hospitals has been slammed as unsafe for patients and staff in a damning new report, RNZ reveals. In a scathing, five-page document, Middlemore has been described as dysfunctional, overcrowded and unsafe. The report stated that only the exceptional hard work and dedication of Middlemore’s staff was keeping it from more serious incidents. The report’s author expressed “serious concerns” about the degree of overcrowding in the ED, which it said was an indicator of significant systemic failures and “it is clear that this institution is struggling”.