Tents sitting idle as health workers despair over Covid surge

A health insider has shared fears the busy emergency department at a large South East Queensland hospital has become a breeding ground for Covid-19.

Ipswich Hospital emergency department is “sinking fast” with no beds available and those with severe Covid symptoms treated in hallways alongside other vulnerable patients in a virus breeding ground, a frontliner claims.

The insider said medics were in a state of despair over the lack of planning for the inevitable surge in Covid cases and fear for their patients.

“We know it won’t be business as usual but we are in an unworkable situation with the hospital at capacity and little possibility of inter-hospital transfers and patients, vital police officers and paramedics exposed to the virus in an unsuitable isolation space,” the frontliner said.

“Medical professionals have at times had to manage and juggle dangerous situations because there has been no forward planning. Certainly something could have been implemented earlier given that we knew two years ago that this would happen,” he said.

An Ipswich Hospital worker says a tent set up outside Ipswich Hospital emergency department to cater for a Covid surge is sitting idle.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland has warned for months that the state’s hospitals do not have surge capacity and the government should increase beds and staffing in emergency wards.

“The frustrating thing is that on December 11 tents were erected outside the ED to help cater for the rising number of Covid cases. Almost one month later the staff have had no direction as to how a system would work in these tents and they have been left unused all this time, except for the occasional medic taking someone in there themselves or for people to grab some shade. An electrician came in the first couple of days to sort out aircon and ventilation in the tents then everything halted for the holidays. There is no sense of urgency even though we are sinking fast and medics are exhausted and have compassion fatigue,” the Ipswich frontliner said.

The Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union secretary Beth Mohle said she was aware of members at Ipswich being under significant stress.

“The whole health system is under stress and we are going to have to do things very differently. Back when the pandemic first started the health system had to pivot in response. We are at a very different stage again and need to pivot again to get through the next month,” Ms Mohle said.

AMA Queensland President Professor Chris Perry said the situation had been foreseeable.

“We are now seeing the entirely predictable results of opening the borders at a time when a new and highly contagious strain of Covid is circulating without ensuring that our hospitals were properly resourced to cope with the non-Covid workload,” he said.

West Moreton Health acting chief executive Matthew Tallis says Ipswich Hospital is experiencing a high level of presentations. Picture: Liam Kidston

“In some EDs, shifts are staffed at less than 50 per cent because of Covid infections and furloughing, and staff – particularly in regional areas – don’t have access to the right PPE.

“Health care workers who are either sick or close contacts are waiting in queues for hours to get tested. If we don’t prioritise all health care workers’ testing, we will have healthy staff isolating at home unnecessarily.”

West Moreton Health acting chief executive and Covid-19 executive lead Matthew Tallis acknowledged the hospital was experiencing a high level of presentations.

“West Moreton Health is at the Tier 2 phase of our Covid-19 response in accordance with our pandemic planning,” Mr Tallis said.

“We have been working throughout the pandemic to prepare for the eventual widespread transmission of Covid-19 in the community, and we are continuing to revise our strategies in this rapidly evolving situation in accordance with the latest advice from Queensland Health.

“The current high level of presentations to the Ipswich Hospital Emergency Department is leading to longer-than-usual waits while our doctors and nurses continue to prioritise those most in need of urgent care.”