Page 1418 - Week 04 - Thursday, 12 April 2018
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(3) There are no ‘surge beds’ in the Emergency Department at Canberra Hospital.
(4) At no time was the Emergency Department at Canberra Hospital unable to decant the resuscitation room during the months of July, August and September 2017.
(5) Canberra Hospital admitted patients from other hospitals during the months of July, August and September 2017. In conjunction with the requesting hospital, staff at Canberra Hospital clinically triage these patients to determine an appropriate timeframe for the patient’s transfer. If the transfer is not required immediately, discussions about the patient’s clinical condition occur daily to ensure the patient remains appropriately triaged whilst awaiting transfer. It is important to note that these patients are clinically stable and receiving appropriate care in the requesting hospital until their transfer occurs. If a patient’s condition deteriorates and they require urgent transfer, the requesting hospital can notify the Admitting Officer at Canberra Hospital’s Emergency Department, or the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and arrange appropriate transfer and admission.
(6) At no time were isolation beds unavailable at Canberra Hospital during the months of July, August and September 2017.
(7) At no time was cohorting unable to be implemented at Canberra Hospital during the months of July, August and September 2017.
(8) During July 2017, there were four days during which the ICU at Canberra Hospital operated at over 100 per cent capacity. During August 2017, there were 13 days during which the ICU operated at over 100 per cent capacity. During September 2017, there were nine days during which the ICU operated at over 100 per cent capacity. The ICU employed additional staff to meet this demand.
It is important to note that ICU capacity can change within hours depending on the changing acuity of patients and incoming/outgoing demand, so the ICU may be at capacity in the morning and below capacity by early afternoon. Managing this is routine business for any ICU and the Canberra Hospital ICU has routine practices for managing demand and patient flow through the Unit.
(9) Over the period July to September 2017, surgery was postponed 44 times due to non-availability of an ICU or ward bed. In July, 23 surgeries were postponed. In August, 13 surgeries were postponed, and in September, eight surgeries were postponed for this reason.
Canberra Hospital—bed occupancy rates
(Question No 896)
Mrs Dunne asked the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, upon notice, on 16 February 2018:
In relation to the answer, dated 20 October 2017, responding to the question without notice, taken on notice on 20 September 2017, about bed occupancy rates, (a) to what does “[t]he occupancy rate … directly correlate”, (b) what are the “overflow arrangements”, (c) at what point are “overflow arrangements” activated, (d) what strategies are employed to minimise or mitigate activation of “overflow arrangements”,
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