Overloaded EDs send patients back to after-hours clinics

‘Lucky’ patients who have made it to a trolley in a corridor. Now many others are being redirected to private urgent care clinics due to ED overloading. Photo: Getty Images

The six key news items from Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, May 21 are:

1. Emergency departments in Auckland are under such stress they’re giving vouchers to patients to go back to urgent care clinics at a cost of up to $200 each. See more in the lead below.

2. Chris Hipkins has walked back Barbara Edmonds’ pledge not to exceed the current Government’s net debt ceiling of 50% of GDP, saying Labour would make that call closer to the 2026 election. See more detail and quotes below.

3. The Disability Commissioner has taken the unusual step of calling on the Government not to ration care in the Budget. See more in quote of the day below.

4. The Government has quietly dropped a plan to tax the global digital giants hundreds of millions of dollars after they protested. See more in the Journal of Record below.

5. Watercare has published a map showing large swathes of north Auckland and South Auckland where its water networks don’t allow new housing developments. See more in map of the day below.

6. NZTA used $348.7 million of cycling funds to build a sea wall between Petone and Wellington by putting a cycle path on top it. See more in number of the day below.

There’s more analysis below the paywall fold and in my daily podcast above for paying subscribers.¹

Six key things to know on Wednesday, May 21

The lead: EDs sending patients back to clinics