Page 2807 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
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But the hospital’s emergency department clinical director Dr Michael Hall said he sees dangers in running such high occupancy rates.
“Ninety-five per cent is unsafe … once you reach above 90 the hospital is under stress, once you reach above 95 the hospital is seriously under stress,” he said.
Dr Hall said when that happened, the pressure was felt back in the emergency department, in terms of waiting times to be seen and to get a bed.
“So people will be cared for in a less than satisfactory environment,” he said.
(Second speaking period taken.)
I will say that again. This is from Dr Hall, who runs the emergency department:
“So people will be cared for in a less than satisfactory environment,” he said.
He continued:
“So it increases time in hospital, it increases costs, it increases complications and in fact it increases mortality.”
What is the minister’s response? Cut 60 beds. That sounds almost farcical, until you get to understand what motivates this government, what drives this minister. He does not give a hoot about health. He has got it because there is no-one else that the Chief Minister dares give it to. You saw the performance today from Ms Berry and you see it regularly from Ms Burch and others. There is no-one that he dares give this portfolio to.
So he has given it to Mr Corbell thinking that it is in a safe pair of hands. Mr Corbell is quite happy to have a health system where you have got the emergency department head saying—and I will say it again—that people are cared for in a less than satisfactory environment in a hospital where it increases costs, increases complications and increases mortality. As long as this minister has got his light rail, health is always going to be a second-order issue for him.
The executive director, Mark Dykgraaf, sent out an email on 11 September 2014. What did he say? He said:
TCH is frequently operating at capacity levels over 95 per cent. Since 2012 there have been strategies to respond to increased demand and alleviate pressure on the ED.
And he goes on:
Some of these strategies might be viewed to be less than perfect solutions for the ED and the broader hospital.
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