“Shoalhaven Hospital is broken” according to head of surgery Professor Martin Jones, with elective surgery being cancelled and a continuation of chronic bed shortage.
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In a letter to the South Coast Register, Professor Jones said elective surgery had again been cancelled three days out of the last five.
“Only day only patients have been allowed to be treated in theatre,” he said.
“This is a continuation of the bed shortage that has plagued our hospital for at least the last two years.”
He said an increase in numbers at the South Coast Correctional Centre, the fact the two local navy bases no longer have hospitals and the “tsunami of economic refugees heading from Sydney and Wollongong” had put the hospital system “under terminal stress”.
And Professor Jones said things will only get worse with the news a long standing arrangement between Wollongong and Shoalhaven hospitals, where northern orthopaedic surgeons treated fracture and trauma patients from the Shoalhaven had ended.
“This unilateral decision of the many orthopaedic surgeons in Wollongong hospital not to look after fracture and trauma patients from the Shoalhaven will now be a further impact,” he said.
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“There had been a long standing arrangement between the two trauma hospitals in the region that when our two surgeons at Shoalhaven hospital were not on call, Wollongong hospital with its many more junior and senior orthopaedic staff would look after these patients.
“Ten days ago the Wollongong surgeons announced this arrangement would end March 1.
“This was without any discussion with our surgeons or me as head of surgery.
Elective surgery cancelled, chronic bed shortage, increased numbers at South Coast jail, no hospitals at local navy bases, cancellation of fracture and trauma treatment at Wollongong Hospital and a tsunami of economic refugees from Sydney and Wollongong has put the hospital system under terminal stress.
- Shoalhaven Hospital head of surgery Professor Martin Jones
“I was informed on February 22. The administration of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District [ISLHD] was asked for clarification and their response was that we had to absorb into our already overrun hospital, all the fracture care and trauma.”
He said that means the hospital would have to deal with around 2000 episodes of care in the last seven months that were dealt with by the much better equipped service in Wollongong.
“Our two public orthopaedic surgeons and their junior registrar were informed of this debacle,” he said.
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“The action of the administration in Wollongong was to provide us with one more junior doctor and allow us to use two senior orthopaedic surgeons to be on a roster with our two surgeons to be on call each weekend and try and cover each weekday as well.
“This does not come with any extra theatre time, nurses, anaesthetists, wards staff, beds or radiographers.
“This new requirement of the hospital will impact on our core business and further add to the cancellations and add to the waiting lists. “
Despite opening six extra over census beds and taking six beds from the theatre recovery area, the 12 extra beds has done nothing to alleviate the bed shortage. The new standard of two recovery beds per operating theatre, means we are five beds short.
- Shoalhaven Hospital head of surgery Professor Martin Jones
Professor Jones said despite opening six extra over census beds and taking six beds from the theatre recovery area, the 12 extra beds has done nothing to alleviate the bed shortage.
“The new standard of two recovery beds per operating theatre, means we are five beds short,” he said “which has a direct effect on the function of the theatre.“
Shoalhaven Hospital has five theaters and five recovery beds, meaning patients are now having to be woken up in theatre instead of the specialised recovery area.
Shoalhaven Hospital has five theaters and five recovery beds, meaning patients are now having to be woken up in theatre instead of the specialised recovery area. That has a direct effect on the function of the theatre.
- Shoalhaven Hospital head of surgery Professor Martin Jones
“This obviously delays theatre activity and negatively impacts on our ability to service the lists, causing further cancellations,” Professor Jones said.
“I have for years had to add services to the theatre using a cost neutral technique.
“I have had to take time from one surgical group to add another, to provide increased services.
“We currently have no more funded theatre time or skilled theatre nurses let alone hospital beds or ward staff.”
Doctors and staff will all rally to look after all our patients. I find myself again apologising to the wonderful people of the Shoalhaven - we will do our best and we will always try to find a way to care for our patients.
- Shoalhaven Hospital head of surgery Professor Martin Jones
Professor Jones said despite these challenges doctors and staff would “all rally to look after all our patients.”
“The increase in numbers at the South Coast Correctional Centre, the fact the two local navy bases no longer have hospitals on base and the tsunami of economic refugees heading from Sydney and Wollongong has put our hospital system under terminal stress,” he said.
“I find myself again apologising to the wonderful people of the Shoalhaven - we will do our best and we will always try to find a way to care for our patients.“
Profession Jones thanked local administration and staff for their untiring efforts at the Shoalhaven Hospital.