Te Rui Atawhai
Wellington Intensive Care Unit
Information for patients, whānau and family
Kia Ora
This website provides information for patients, whānau and family about the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Wellington Regional Hospital. We provide tertiary (advanced) intensive care for patients across the lower North and Upper South islands.
We are one of Aotearoa New Zealand's largest ICUs. We have 24 beds and admit 1900 patients a year.
WHAT IS A TERTIARY ICU?
What we do
We provide critical care for a wide range of patients. These include patients who have had complex operations on their heart, brain, spine or bowel. We also care for patients with medical problems such as diseases of the nervous system, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver or blood vessels, and support people with infection, cancer, or after bone marrow transplants.
We are the regional major trauma unit, looking after people with serious injuries.
We provide critical care to most children who need it (around 180 per year) but refer the very young or very sick on to Starship Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand's specialist child Intensive Care Unit.
We don't provide care for patients with burns or spinal injuries, but are involved in stabilising them, then transferring on to the national specialist centres that do.
Mō Mātou
Who we are
It takes a large team to provide round-the-clock support to the sickest patients in the region. To ensure they receive the best quality care, they are looked after by a team of different healthcare professionals. Although overall clinical decisions are the responsibility of the senior ICU doctors, they work closely with other hospital specialists. You can find out more about who is looking after your loved one from the button below.
pātaitai
Frequently Asked Questions
The Intensive Care Unit can sometimes be a busy & frightening place. We know that family, whānau or visitors often have things that they are scared or worried about. To help, we have made a webpage where we provide some answers to common questions.
Ngā Ratonga
Other Services
Our ICU staff provide several other services to help patients, their families and whānau before, during, and after they are in our care. These include aeromedical retrieval, ward support through the Patient At Risk (PAR) service and the Tracheostomy Review and Management Service (TRAMS), patient diaries, pet therapy, a psychologist, and a bereavement group.
Location
Level 3
Wellington Regional Hospital
Riddiford Street
Newtown, Wellington
New Zealand