Napier’s overnight urgent health service has been shut 13 times this year due to staffing issues.

The ongoing overnight closures at Napier Health on Wellesley Rd, including two over the weekend, have been labelled “simply not good enough” by a local doctor and Labour candidate.

Health NZ says work is being done to “strengthen the overnight roster” including recruiting more suitably skilled nurses.

Napier does not have a hospital or emergency department, with the closest public hospital being Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings.

However, Napier Health does, in theory, offer urgent medical care for the city 24 hours a day.

That includes a walk-in service, known as Napier Urgent Care, from 8am to 8pm daily with doctors on hand. That is run by a group of Napier general practices.

At night, from 8pm to 8am, Health NZ then provides nurses for urgent walk-in care at the centre.

Health NZ confirmed between four and five people used the service each night, on average, and it was staffed by two nurses on a 12-hour shift.

Between January 1 and March 1, the overnight service has been closed 13 times.

That equates to it being unavailable over 20% of the time over that period.

Napier doctor Alex Hedley, who is Labour’s candidate for the Napier electorate, said the situation was “simply not good enough”.

Dr Alex Hedley is the Labour candidate for the Napier electorate in the 2026 general election. Photo / Supplied

“People presenting to health services overnight means something has seriously gone wrong, so not having that security of being able to access healthcare, particularly if people can’t get transport to Hastings, does impact and damage trust in our health services.”

Dr Hedley said Napier’s urgent medical care needed a “rethink”.

He said he would push for overnight doctors to be available on-site at Napier Health if elected in November, although he added that was not currently a Labour Party policy or commitment.

“That is not a Labour Party policy, but that is my commitment to the community here is advocating strongly for the restoration of overnight [doctor] services in Napier.”

Napier National MP Katie Nimon said the closures this year came down to unplanned absences, such as staff sickness or staff being required at Hawke’s Bay Hospital ED.

She said, following Government changes last year to improve the overnight service, there was now registered nurse prescribers available at night.

Napier MP Katie Nimon says staffing constraints are the main reason for the closures. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“Before, it was a nurse that couldn’t make any prescriptions, which meant that anyone who went to see the service overnight would have to go back to a doctor the next day to get a prescription,” she said.

“So we added that service, but that meant there is a limited number of people that can provide that capability.”

She said training and upskilling more nurses, so there were more nurse prescribers available, was being looked at as a way to improve on the closures.

Health NZ executive regional director Central, Chris Lowry, said “at times, when staffing availability is affected by leave, illness, or demand pressures elsewhere, the overnight clinic has had to close”.

“We are exploring options to strengthen the overnight roster by seeking expressions of interest from suitably skilled nurses from across the district, including hospital and primary care teams.”

A report leaked to Hawke’s Bay Today early last year revealed a Government proposition to cut the overnight nurse service due to low demand, sparking community backlash and a protest.

The Government then announced in March last year that the nurse-led service would remain and be enhanced with a nurse prescriber, as well as a doctor being available when needed through telehealth (meaning over the phone or video call).

Napier Hospital closed in 1998, with services consolidated at Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings.