Lakes District Hospital

I just left Queenstown Hospital after an accident last night where I split my eyebrow and needed a few stitches. The wait to be seen was on the longer side, but I don't want that to take anything away from how well I was looked after once I got through to the room.nnJess was the one who stitched me up, and she was absolutely amazing — so friendly, caring and gentle, and she talked me through every step of the way, which made a stressful moment feel so much easier. I left feeling genuinely well looked after, not just patched up.nnOnce again, thank you so much, Jess, for such lovely care. You really deserve to be recognised for it, and thanks to the rest of the Queenstown Hospital team too.

I've been here last week and today, it was my first time, when I came in everyone is very accommodating and caring, hospital is neat and comfortable, they took care of me until I am well. It's one of the best hospital that I've visited . Kudos to all staff. You guys are the best! God bless!

Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Emergency Department Wait Times and Patient CarennI am writing to raise a serious concern about our recent experience at the Emergency Department in Queenstown.nnI brought my husband to the Emergency Department at approximately 5:45 am because he was experiencing breathing difficulties. He also has underlying health conditions, which made us particularly concerned about his condition and the possibility of it deteriorating while waiting.nnWe were advised that there were patients who had already been waiting for approximately five hours and that we could also expect a very long wait. On several occasions, the nurse repeated that the wait would be three to four hours or longer. The repeated emphasis on the waiting time made us feel as though we were being discouraged from remaining at the hospital to be assessed.nnI understand that Emergency Departments must prioritise patients according to the seriousness of their condition and that some patients will inevitably have to wait. However, when someone presents with breathing difficulties and other underlying health concerns, it is extremely worrying to be repeatedly told how long the wait will be rather than being reassured that their condition will continue to be monitored appropriately.nnAnother concern was my husband’s high blood pressure. The nurse asked whether I could go home and bring his medication. I understand that patients may need to provide information about their medications, but I was surprised that the hospital did not have access to the necessary medication or an appropriate process to manage this situation while he was in the Emergency Department.nnWe were also repeatedly told that there was only one doctor available and that the doctor was attending to other emergency cases. I appreciate that doctors must prioritise the most critical patients. However, this raises a broader concern about whether the current Emergency Department staffing levels are adequate for Queenstown’s growing population and the significant number of visitors and tourists the area receives.nnPeople do not come to an Emergency Department unless they believe something is seriously wrong. While prioritisation is necessary, patients who are waiting should still feel that they are being appropriately monitored, communicated with and cared for.nnI respectfully request that Health New Zealand, the relevant local health authorities and the Government review the current Emergency Department staffing levels, waiting times, patient monitoring processes and availability of essential medications at Queenstown Hospital.nnQueenstown has grown significantly, and the healthcare infrastructure needs to reflect the number of people living in and visiting the area. It is concerning if patients presenting with potentially serious symptoms are routinely facing several-hour waits simply because there are insufficient doctors and resources available.nnI am not asking for every patient to be seen immediately or for emergency prioritisation to be removed. I am asking for a system where patients are safely assessed, appropriately monitored while waiting, and treated with reassurance and dignity.nnI hope this complaint will be taken seriously and that the appropriate authorities will review what happened, including whether the staffing and resources currently available at Queenstown Emergency Department are sufficient to safely meet demand.nnI would appreciate a response outlining what will be done to address these concerns and improve the experience and safety of patients requiring emergency care in Queenstown.

I came into the Emergency department for a situation involving police where I should have been safe.nI was held down, psychically restrained and left with week long injuries despite not fighting back.nThe police officer in there with me attacked me police reports have been made and ordered the hospital to psychically restrain me for almost 2 hours holding me down so hard my entire body with in extreme pain for weeks and I had unexplainable bruises. I was already handcuffed this whole time, I couldn’t move if I wanted to.nFor about 5 minutes I said nearly 50 times “ I CANNOT BREATHE” because they were holding me down so hard and my words should have been taken seriously as a urgent medical emergency yet they talked amongst each other and even laughed at me. The police accused me of being on drugs to the doctors and the completely treated me like I was. blood tests hours later confirmed I WAS NOTnI made a complaint with the hospital and after weeks they replied that she spoke with the doctors involved and nobody heard me saying I could not breathe. I was literally screaming the entire hospital down that I could not breathe so that is an absolute lie.nI have a mental health background and they abused me and assaulted me for it.nThey denied everything in the reply to my complaint and could only say “ we are sorry “ after basically denying everything.nI have been in multiple emergency departments in Auckland for similar situations and NOTHING even comes close to what Doctors at Queenstown hospital did to me and how they treated me.nI don’t know if nothing ever happens here so when a tiny thing happens they do this. But all I wanted was for everyone to stop talking to me and to be alone in my room so when I shut the curtain I was attacked and held down so hard. This has been one of the most traumatic experiences in my entire life and I don’t think I will ever completely recover from this. I do not feel safe at all to ever go back to there which is really sad because it’s a hospital and it should be a place where people feel safe and cared for.

We attended here for my partner after a snowboarding accident that required imaging and were so impressed and thankful for the service. The staff were all incredible, kind and helpful and fortunately had space for us to be seen that day very efficiently. It seemed like such a well oiled machine! Thank you everyone at LDH!

Directions to Lakes District Hospital with public transportation

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