Bed shortage plans escalated after hospital emergency departments hit with surge in demand

Several Queensland Hospital activated bed shortage plans Tuesday after emergency departments were hit with a sudden surge in demand throughout the state.

Queensland’s emergency departments have been hit with a sudden “extremely high demand” for help, with four hospitals forced to escalate their highest level bed shortage plans to deal with the surge.

But there appears to be no unique catalyst to the crunch on Tuesday beyond the ongoing issues already hurting the system, including bed space being taken up by patients waiting for aged care or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plans.

Queensland Health officials confirmed the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Townsville University Hospital, Cairns Hospital and Mackay Base Hospital were all at “tier 3” activation as of 11am Tuesday.

Mackay Base Hospital is one of several Queensland hospitals hit with high demand on Tuesday, according to Queensland Health. Picture: Liam Kidston

The tier system goes from 0 to 3, with tier 3 triggered when there is “limited capacity to meet the needs of the local community in the majority of facilities in the (Hospital and Health Services)”.

Queensland Health confirmed a “number of our emergency departments (EDs) across Queensland experienced extremely high demand for services” on Tuesday, but did not provide a reason why.

It is understood there were no unique factors, other than the ongoing issues plaguing the health system of patients coming in sicker, staying in hospital longer, and being unable to access help in the community quickly — like waiting for NDIS or aged care packages — causing the crunch.

Townsville University Hospital also had to go to ‘tier 3’. Picture: Evan Morgan

Australian Medical Association Queensland president, Maria Boulton, theorised the usual Monday afternoon surge on emergency departments may have overflowed into Tuesday.

She said it was not Covid-19 related, with the latest data showing 105 people were being cared for statewide.

Metro North Hospital and Health Service, in an email to staff members at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Tuesday morning, confirmed the hospital was now on the highest tier of its bed capacity plan.

“RBWH is currently on Tier Three due to an acute shortage of bed capacity across the hospital. The Incident Management Team has been activated,” the email noted.

“We are experiencing a high level of demand for beds at RBWH today. We ask all staff to focus on clinical priorities and facilitate discharges where appropriate.”

The Cairns Hospital was also placed at ‘tier 3’ on Tuesday. Picture: Brendan Radke

The email, sent about 9am, also called for “all wards” to accept “one over census patient within the next hour” to relieve the load at the Emergency Trauma Centre of patients for admission.

According to Metro North, an “over census area” is a “clinical area within a ward, not in a public-facing area” which was used temporarily to treat patients.

Leaked “bed status” text messages being sent to staff at the hospital last week showed patients were set to be cared for in corridors due to the be shortage.