Paramedics in Tasmania’s north and north-west have been told to bypass a Burnie hospital for non-urgent cases, as it struggles to keep up with demand, according to the Health and Community Services Union.
HACSU’s Robbie Moore said ambulances were bypassing the North West Regional Hospital (NWRH) and being directed to take patients to hospitals in Latrobe and Launceston.
But a Department of Health spokesperson has said “all emergency cases and those requiring life-saving treatment continue to be taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital, including the NWRH”.
The Mersey Community Hospital, which is about 40 minutes away from the NWRH, is the closest alternative.
“This means ambulances have to travel for longer while still treating the patients and this is a really dangerous situation and is having a real impact,” Mr Moore said.
“It shows the critical situation our health system is in.”
Mr Moore said a hospital bypass has not occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard)
Staff being on sick leave and increased hospital demand were behind the bypass decision, according to the union.
“It’s basically linked to the influenza outbreak, so we’ve got more people in our hospitals, but its also means we have more staff out,” Mr Moore said.
“It proves we do not have any capacity to deal with surges in our health system.”
Mr Moore said a hospital bypass has not occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To see a major hospital being bypassed is unprecedented, and this is a really dangerous situation,” he said.
Patients suffering from cardiac arrest and stroke symptoms are still being seen at the NWRH.
The union said it was not yet known how long the bypass will be in effect.
Patients suffering from cardiac arrest and stroke symptoms are still being seen at the NWRH. (ABC News: Bec Pridham )
The Department of Health said in a statement, the North West Regional Hospital was experiencing “high levels of demand”.
“Our hospitals, including the NWRH, have well-established escalation procedures to manage surge periods and it is common for our hospitals to work together as one health system during these periods to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place,” a spokesperson said.
“In times of particularly high demand, this includes temporarily re-directing non-urgent patient cases brought via ambulance to other hospitals.”‘Stop-gap measures’ not fixes, union says
The Mersey Community Hospital has struggled in recent years to attract and retain adequate staffing levels and has been the subject of several adverse coronial findings.
Treating team ‘missed’ heart attack
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) said diverting patients was appropriate if the NWRH emergency department was unable to cope with the number of patients needing care.
“That does potentially cause a delay to care for those patients,” ANMF branch secretary Emily Shepherd said.
“And this goes to the concern of the ANMF around access and flow issues occurring right across our state, in our emergency departments.
“Stop-gap measures like transfer of care procedures are not fixing access to care for patients; we need to look at the entire process.”
Nurse union takes staffing issues to Industrial Commission
The ANMF said insufficient staffing in the state’s south had plagued the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) for several years.
Tasmania’s healthcare system laid bare
The nursing union recently took the matter to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission and lodged a dispute against the Tasmanian Health Service for failing to ensure safe staffing on a surgical ward at the RHH.
Ms Shepherd said this failure resulted in adverse impacts on surgical patients, with staff producing evidence of malnutrition in their patients due to the inability of staff being able to attend to all patients who require assistance with meals.
“Pleasingly, today in the Industrial Commission the [Health] department has committed to filling the 5.48 assistant nursing positions by Tuesday next week,” she said.
The Department of Health said in a statement it was committed to continuing to work collaboratively and in good faith with staff and the ANMF to address any concerns.
The Department also refuted claims of malnutrition of patients due to nursing care or staffing levels.