LNP Town Hall on Hervey Bay Hospital crisis booked out

A public meeting organised by the LNP for Hervey Bay residents to share their experiences at the embattled Hervey Bay Hospital has booked out in a matter of hours.

A Town Hall planned by the LNP to discuss the ongoing crisis at Hervey Bay Hospital has booked out in hours after whistleblowers were asked to come forward to share their stories.

The Town Hall has been planned amid staff and bed shortages at the hospital and following a leaked letter to Health Minister Yvette D’Ath from the Together Union shared by the Chronicle last week, which revealed a meeting of its local members resulted in the unanimous no-confidence vote in the “ability of the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service to set the direction in providing the services needed by the people of Hervey Bay and Maryborough”.

A statement from the State Opposition said it was flooded with people wanting to share their stories after the announcement of the Town Hall.

The LNP raised concerns regarding worsening ambulance ramping, surgery wait times and emergency department delays.

People were still being encouraged to come forward and register for the event because “every single story should be heard”, a statement from the LNP read.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said delivering proper healthcare for the people of Hervey Bay was a major priority for the LNP and the Health Crisis Town Halls were an important step on that journey.

“Our Health Crisis Town Halls are uncovering the true state of the Queensland Health Crisis, with patients sharing their stories,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates says the LNP was now considering options to expand the Queensland Health Crisis Town Hall.

Hervey Bay Hospital - a Town Hall planned by the LNP to discuss the ongoing crisis at the hospital has booked out in hours after whistleblowers were asked to come forward to share their stories..

“The people of Hervey Bay clearly want to speak up and share their stories,” Ms Bates said.

“The region deserves a world class health system and we will fight tooth and nail alongside residents to ensure that happens.

“We have put genuine solutions on the table such as real time data monitoring for emergency departments, more beds, improving triaging and empowering the frontline staff to make local decisions.

“We promised we would give people in Hervey Bay a forum to tell their stories and we will do exactly that.”

In a response to the Chronicle regarding the ongoing issues facing Hervey Bay Hospital, WBBHS chief executive Debbie Carroll said the growth in demand for care was “unprecedented”.

Wide Bay Health CEO Debbie Carroll.

“While we’ve made significant recent investment in our local hospitals to increase their capacity and introduce more efficient models of care, the growth that we’re experiencing is beyond what any analyst or expert body predicted for our region,” she said.

“Our leadership team understands our staff are feeling the impact of this growth and demand, and we appreciate their ongoing commitment to providing quality healthcare while under this pressure.

“As always, we continue to be committed to working collaboratively with our staff, local union representatives and Queensland Health as we face these challenges, to ensure our community and patients continue to receive the best possible care now and in the future.”

Last week Ms D’Ath also weighed in on the situation.

“It was a pleasure to sit down with different unions and their members across the workforce at Hervey Bay Hospital recently with the Director General when we had regional cabinet in the area last week,” Ms D’Ath said.

“Issues raised by the staff are being communicated to the Executive.

“I expect the HHS to work with all stakeholders to seek ongoing improvements to health service delivery.

“I want to acknowledge the efforts of hardworking local health workers for the quality care they provide every day to the Wide Bay community.

“The State Government is continuing to invest in new and improved infrastructure throughout the local Hospital and Health Service, which includes continuing to invest in Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Bundaberg Hospitals.

The response from the Health Minister comes after a bleak picture of an ICU in crisis was painted in extraordinary leaked letters sent between a senior doctor, Wide Bay Hospital and Health chiefs and the union.

In one letter, sent to a senior doctor and sighted by the Fraser Coast Chronicle, Ms Carroll stressed the Hervey Bay Intensive Care Unit was assessed as Level 4 and provided a number of directions staff had to follow to ensure it operated as such, including the transfer out of patients whose needs were beyond the “clinical capabilities” of the local team.

Together Union organiser Allison Finlay-Bissett with other protesters outside Hervey Bay Hospital.

A response from Together Union lead organiser Allison Finley-Bissett, however, claimed that in reality the Hervey Bay ICU had been wrongly categorised by the health service as Level 4, when it had been experiencing Level 5 activity for the past eight years.

She said the union believed this was an exercise in ensuring Hervey Bay Hospital was not upgraded – a concern which has repeatedly been flagged as plans progress for a new hospital in Bundaberg.