6. Question No. 6—HealthDr SHANE RETI (Deputy Leader—National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 6—Health6. Dr SHANE RETI (Deputy Leader—National) to the Minister of Health: Why as at 6 September 2021 did our public hospitals only have 327 resourced ICU beds when there were 358 ICU beds and ICU-capable beds available at the end of April 2020?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Health): The member's assertion that there were 358 ICU beds and ICU capable beds in our public hospitals at the end of April 2020 is wrong. I assume the member refers to the figure of 358 because it appears on the Ministry of Health website dealing with ICU capability and ventilators. I refer the member to the text accompanying that data: The beds are predominantly within DHB hospitals but also include ICU beds available by agreement for use in private hospitals." I'm advised that at the end of April 2020 an agreement reached with private hospitals during the peak of the first COVID-19 outbreak saw 30 beds kept available in the private hospital network for ICU patients. The figures provided for 6 September 2021 does not include those 30 beds. I might add that in addition to availability of beds since August last year the DHBs have acquired additional ventilators and now have around 700 intensive care capable ventilators. We've commenced also a training programme to upskill nurses to work in an ICU environment and we have trained roughly 1400 nurses under this programme.Dr Shane Reti: How does he explain his answer to written question No. 41987 showing that there is not a single new resourced ICU bed in any one of the three Auckland DHBs since the end of the first COVID outbreak last year?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: Well as that member well knows the availability of ICU beds literally changes from one day to the next. It is dependent on the throughput of patients in hospitals for other treatments; also the availability of staff because some staff available one day may fall sick the next and are therefore not available and that will alter the availability of ICU beds. The reality is we have available at the moment roughly 325 ICU or ICU capable beds but through the additional measures taken since August last year we can surge that through management of other demands on hospitals to 550 ICU capable beds.Dr Shane Reti: What did he think would happen when the day the recent nationwide lockdown was announced Auckland ICU was already at 120 percent occupancy and how then were they expected to cope with the current outbreak when he has failed to build a single new resourced bed for them in the past year?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The member is not providing an accurate picture by any stretch at all. If the member looked at the availability of ICU—SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member's all right as he goes but he's getting very close to making an inappropriate accusation of the member. So I'm just warning Mr Little to take care in his response.Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I'm obliged Mr Speaker. The member's assertion is incorrect. In terms of ICU capable beds available across Auckland at the commencement of the outbreak there were differing levels of availability of ICU capacity between the three DHBs in Auckland. If the member's concern is about facilities in our hospitals and in light of the member's party's promises today about $3 billion spending I just say this to this member: no one will believe that party because as we know prior conduct is the best indicator of future conduct and this tells the story. [Holds up graph] The amount of spending by that member's Government on facilities in hospitals: $1 billion over nine years; $4.5 billion by this Government in three years. No one believes that member's party when they say they're interested in building hospital facilities.Hon Chris Hipkins: What potential impact would wholesale reopening of the border this side of Christmas have on our ICU facilities?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I know that there are differing models that have been coming forward from the various modellers but at a vaccination level of between 70 and 75 percent of our population the demand for services on our hospitals because of the unvaccinated population would be heavy and considerable and would place undue demand on our hospital system. That is why maximising our vaccination level is absolutely critical and taking appropriate measures realistic and practical measures to lift our capacity is very important.Dr Shane Reti: How is it possible that according to his answer to written question No. 42142 his health officials did not prepare a single report or make a single recommendation about ICU capacity at any time this year until five weeks ago when the latest outbreak was already under way?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: As I've said to that member many times the work on lifting our ICU capacity started last year in light of the outbreaks last year. That led to additional investment in ventilators so we now have roughly 700 intensive care - capable ventilators. It also led to the programme to upskill our nursing workforce so that we now have an additional 1400 nurses capable of working in an ICU environment. You know it would be nice if that member acknowledged for once that his party when it was in Government did absolutely nothing to lift capability and capacity in the health system and we are busily filling the gap.Dr Shane Reti: Is he one of the reasons for Auckland being stuck in a prolonged lockdown because he failed to build a single new resourced ICU bed in Auckland over the past year?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No. This Government has taken extraordinary steps since August last year to increase our ICU capacity and capability. If the member wants to point a finger of blame look at his colleagues and ask himself what he was doing when he sat in that caucus when for two years in a row not a single dollar was appropriated to hospital facilities. Shame on that member."