Christchurch Hospital Gridlock Policy

The term "gridlock" describes the times when demand for resourced (i.e. staffed) beds exceeds supply and the hospital is not able to admit the next patient.

Gridlock can be local to a ward, service, or cluster - or hospital-wide. Hospital-wide (red) gridlock is an emergency situation activating an emergency response via the pager system.

At lower levels of gridlock you may receive pager messaging directing the need for enhanced discharging or redirection of patient flow to prevent gridlock developing. If you are unsure what to do in response to the messaging, please ask your service leader for assistance.

• The Duty Manager makes the decision to notify teams that the hospital is in a state of gridlock.
• Gridlock procedures are set out in the Christchurch Hospital manual, Volume A, and on the wall hanging flip charts throughout the hospital.

See also:

• Christchurch Hospital Manual, Volume A

Topic Code: 10806