Bass Coast Health (BCH) CEO Jan Child has pleaded to the local community to take particular care over these coming few weeks to reduce pressure on the health system.
Ms Child said that community transmission of respiratory illnesses remains higher now than ever before, and each of us should be implementing personal COVID precautions to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
“We know that if people wear masks, avoid crowds, stay home if they have any symptoms, get tested and get vaccinated, then transmission is lower,” she said.
Unfortunately, some people have let these simple public health measures lapse, and so COVID, Influenza, other respiratory illnesses such as Rhinovirus, RSV, and Gastro are rife throughout Bass Coast and South Gippsland.
The Emergency Department at Wonthaggi Hospital and the Urgent Care Centre are particularly busy as a consequence, and there are times where patients are waiting several days in the Emergency Department before they can get a bed in an inpatient ward.
There is also a large number of BCH staff who have been ill, resulting in fewer healthcare workers available to treat our community on a daily basis. The health service faces staff shortfalls of between 30 to 70 people on any day off work due to illness, putting pressure on the remaining staff who are already fatigued.
The number of beds we have available is less than usual, because we have less available staff, and there have been many days where patients who have been patiently waiting for their elective surgery have been cancelled due to lack of beds.
“These are not easy decisions but we make these decisions to make sure the staff we do have are focused on our sickest patients,” Ms Child said.
“These are tricky times. We are in the midst of another peak and while the case numbers are settling across the state, the impact on Wonthaggi Hospital will continue for a few more weeks.
“The whole health system is under duress at the moment and Bass Coast Health is no different.
“We need our community to do what they can to keep themselves well and we thank the community for their continued patience if they are experiencing an inconvenience.
“We know there are significant waiting times in ED. We may need to cancel other appointments on the day if staff are unwell, and we’ve had many occasions when we’ve had to cancel surgery because we do not have enough staff and beds.
“Please know this will get better and in the meantime, please be kind to our staff who are doing their very best in difficult circumstances.”
The Hospital called a Code Yellow last month, alongside many other health services, because of staffing shortfalls and increased demand. According to the CEO, Bass Coast Health continues to be under pressure, but it is very important for people who are very unwell to know they should attend for care and our most unwell people will be cared for as a priority.
In a bid to mitigate the staff shortfall, BCH has intensified its recruitment efforts by advertising locally and into metropolitan areas, and welcoming new permanent, locum and agency staff. Anyone wishing to work in a clinical or non-clinical role at Bass Coast Health should contact our Human Resources team. Email hr@basscoasthealth.org.au or phone 5671 3151.
“We are so fortunate to have our own brilliant and agile team who have been continually picking up extra shifts to cover the shortfalls, but they’re already tired and they’ve been working in these extraordinary conditions for two-and-a-half years,” Ms Child said.
“That’s why we are asking the community to take simple precautions that will result in major benefits for our health service. Anything you can do to ease the pressure on our health service will enable us to provide the best possible treatment for those sick people who really need us.”