New ICU at Waitākere Hospital sits unused due to staffing and budget shortfall
A brand-new six-bed intensive care unit at Waitākere Hospital in West Auckland is fully equipped but remains closed because no staff or operating budget have been allocated.
Waitākere Hospital’s newly built six-bed intensive care unit, announced in 2021 as West Auckland’s first ICU, is ready but empty because Health NZ has not funded its operation or hired the necessary staff. The Manaaki Hōhonu building opened recently, yet only half its 30 beds are in use due to a nursing shortage. Health NZ posted a one-year, part-time clinical lead role, and Brad Healey said further hiring will occur once a "model of care" is approved.
Senior doctors’ union leader Sarah Dalton argued the recruitment should have started earlier, given the long-standing demand for critical-care capacity in a region of 250,000 people. An audit warned that opening the ICU would require closing two beds at the North Shore hospital, highlighting broader staffing challenges across the Waitematā health district.
Why it matters
The idle ICU highlights critical staffing gaps that delay essential health services for a growing West Auckland population.
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