A higher demand for emergency care and hospital admissions, a lack of staff due to COVID has led to lengthy delays at Shoalhaven District Hospital and the closure of the children's ward on Friday evening according to Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD).
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Australian Community Media has received reports of significant "bed block" at Shoalhaven Hospital over the weekend and past few days, including one ambulance allegedly being forced to wait outside for four hours with a COVID positive patient before being able to enter the hospital emergency department.
While paramedics were able to occasionally open the ambulance doors, due to privacy and safety issues, for the majority of the time paramedics had to wait inside the ambulance with the patient.
Apparently, there was no available area to place the patient into isolation.
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There have been reports of similar happenings in other areas and we have all seen the line up of waiting ambulances at Sydney hospitals, but paramedics report this is the first time such an instance, of such a long wait for a COVID patient, has happened in the Shoalhaven.
It has also been reported the Shoalhaven Hospital ED has been that full, patients have even been placed in the X-Ray department and adults in the specialised ED paediatric ward.
Shoalhaven Hospital Group General Manager, Craig Hamer said the ISLHD has been seeing high demand for emergency care and hospital admissions over the past few weeks, including at Shoalhaven Hospital ED.
"Shoalhaven Hospital has comprehensive and around-the-clock strategies in place to manage periods of significant demand, however the added challenge of an increase in the number of staff furloughed as a result of COVID-19 has caused further pressure," Mr Hamer said.
"Shoalhaven Hospital is closely supported by the district's network of hospitals but due to staff being impacted by COVID-19, a decision was made to temporarily cease admissions to the children's ward on Friday evening.
"However, no paediatric patients required admission during this period."
He said any paediatric patients requiring admission on Friday evening would have been transferred to Wollongong Hospital.
"The children's ward resumed full services on Saturday morning," Mr Hamer said.
"While the hospital always aims to accommodate patients in their specialty ward, during periods of peak demand patients may need to be temporarily cared for in other wards."
He thanked the community for its patience and understanding as staff work hard to ensure that all patients are seen as quickly as possible.
ISLHD asks the community to also remember that while the ED is always open, if your illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening please consider visiting a medical centre, your GP or contact HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 anytime (24 hours, seven days a week) for free health information and advice.
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