Wanganui Hospital Emergency Department tested their decontamination process today in a planned exercise with the Wanganui Fire Brigade and St John Ambulance.

The scenario for the exercise involved two patients who had been contaminated with hazardous chemicals and required medical treatment.

Sandy Blake, Whanganui District Health Board General Manager Patient Safety and Service Quality, said that exercises, such as the one today, are important as they ensure that staff are prepared for real emergencies.

“Planning is an essential part of effectively managing real emergencies. The most effective way of making sure we are prepared is by carrying out exercises that test our emergency responses. Staff observe the exercises and provide feedback on any necessary changes or improvements and also acknowledge what was done well.”

Mrs Blake said that today’s exercise not only tested the Emergency Department’s response but also tested the working relationship between emergency services.

“In reality when an emergency occurs the various emergency services will all be working together, so it is important to use these exercises as an opportunity not only  to test our internal process but our external ones as well. The services are also stronger when we work together as a team, as we are able to utilise each other’s expertise and knowledge.”

The Whanganui District Health Board is committed to the safety of our community and regularly carries out exercises to test their responses to various types of emergencies.