Wellington Hospital is trialling cutting maternity and gynaecology beds to ease ED pressure. 

Staff have been told maternity overflow space will be re-purposed as 12 more Emergency Department places.

NZ College of Midwives Chief Executive Alison Eddy says staff in Wellington have reported the current maternity facility is over 100 percent occupancy.

"There might be spare beds today, but on a regular basis they're over capacity. And I think the other really important thing to bear in mind is that maternity is like the ED of the maternity service... it can have unpredictable demand."

LISTEN ABOVE