Ramping and the bed block situation at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) is "amongst the worst in the country," the Health and Community Services Unions (HACSU) has said, as it calls for more beds and more hospital and ambulance staff.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Their comments come following the announcement of an independent review of emergency service departments at all four Tasmanian hospitals.
HACSU state secretary Robbie Moore said the organisation welcomed the long-overdue inquiry and that it needed to lead to significant change.
"Patients being ramped in hospital corridors is dangerous and this cannot continue," he said.
"We need paramedics to be attending emergencies in the community not being forced to sit with patients in corridors.
"Patients' lives are being put at risk and we have seen patients die being ramped.
"This shouldn't be happening."
Health Minister Guy Barnett said the terms of reference and panel members for the review have been finalised with the report and action plan set to be delivered before the end of the year.
"Across Australia, hospitals and ambulance services are experiencing similar challenges due to a combination of factors including the difficulty accessing primary care in the community and delays discharging medically fit patients who are awaiting social care packages," he said.
"This independent review will examine our current systems and processes, and identify possible improvements so we can help more Tasmanians get the right care, in the right place, at the right time."
Mr Moore said his organisation wanted to see outcomes like ambulances being able to offload patients in less than an hour.
The ACT has a 30-minute maximum time for paramedics to offload patients, so it can be done, he said.
Mr Moore said emergency departments were not adequately resourced to cope with increased demand and wanted to see more beds opened at the LGH urgently.
Professor Debora Picone AO will lead the independent panel of experts in the review.
She was previously CEO of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
The panel will also include nursing expert Adjunct Professor Ann Maree Keenan, paramedicine expert Professor Tony Walker and emergency medicine expert Dr Niall Small.
Labor's health spokeswoman Anita Dow said Mr Barnett must ensure the final report and action plan was made publicly available.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner
Charmaine Manuel
Charmaine is a journalist at The Examiner. She's interested in social, political and environmental issues. Got a story? Get in touch at charmaine.manuel@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Charmaine is a journalist at The Examiner. She's interested in social, political and environmental issues. Got a story? Get in touch at charmaine.manuel@austcommunitymedia.com.au
