Launceston General Hospital: Aircon no longer fit for purpose
The nurses and midwives union says some members have left shifts at LGH early with “heat exhaustion”. Temps in the Covid ward soared to nearly 40C late last month, the union alleged.
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UPDATED THURSDAY 3PM: The Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Nurses and Midwives Union has alleged nurses were having to leave their shifts at the Launceston General Hospital early due to “heat exhaustion and feeling faint” from working temperatures of “up to” 40C in full protective equipment.
The Mercury revealed on Tuesday the hospital’s airconditioning system required a major upgrade after years of neglect, with D Block, the inpatient unit tower, especially susceptible.
In a leaked staff email from Hospitals North chief executive Jen Duncan, she described the system’s frailty as a “long historical issue”.
“The system was designed to cater for 28C external ambient and as a result higher external temp causes problems,” she wrote.
“It is acknowledged the system has more load on it than originally anticipated, additions to buildings and small changes over many years means there hasn’t been a real overhaul of the system.”
Ms Duncan said a “project group” would be convened next week for “review of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and airconditioning) across the campus and replacement of the system as part of the major risk”.
ANMF Tas secretary Emily Shepherd revealed she wrote to Ms Duncan over Christmas and again this week about the longstanding problem, saying the union had “significant safety concerns for staff and patients”.
She alleged some staff had to work in temperatures of up to 40C over the past few weeks.
“It is unacceptable that nurses have had to work in temperatures of up to 40C in plastic
aprons, masks, gloves and eye shields without the ability to turn on a fan or even open a window, not to mention how uncomfortable it is for extremely unwell patients,” she said.
“Members reported that patients were suffering from the heat and that nurses had to leave shifts early due to suffering from heat exhaustion and feeling faint. This is not a safe working
environment. With the ongoing need for PPE due to Covid, and warmer weather imminent,
immediate solutions need to be put in place.”
She said the 40C figure was conveyed to her by members working in Ward 6D on December 27.
“Some of the members were wearing full PPE with plastic gown, glove, mask and eye shields caring for Covid-positive patients in a room with no air chilling, no windows or fans. Clearly, patients were suffering also,” she said.
Acting Premier Michael Ferguson cited $1.4m the state government spent on the hospital’s airconditioning way back in 2018 as evidence the “legacy” issues with cooling in the hospital were being addressed.
He declined to answer directly why a project group was only being convened next week when the issues had been known for years.
EARLIER: Patientsin Launceston General Hospital’s D Block, the inpatient unit tower, have been forced to endure internal temperatures of up to 27 degrees Celsius this week, a situation described as “dreadful” and “not acceptable” by a well-known businessman whose mum is in the ward.
Brett Victory, the owner of Beaconsfield’s Miners Gold Brewery, told the Mercury he went to visit his mum in D Block between 2.15–3pm on Monday, after she sustained a fall.
He took a picture of the thermostat showing the temperature to be 26.9 degrees Celsius.
“Sitting in her room by her bedside in 27 degrees with a mask made me feel very uncomfortable. This is not acceptable,” he said.
“Mum looked like she’d been hit by double decker bus. It’s uncomfortable enough to be in pain.
“Every patient in the room commented (on the heat). An older lady directly opposite was really fanning herself. It’s dreadful.”
Mr Victory said he was told by staff the block’s airconditioning had been an issue for upwards of three years and they encouraged him to complain to help get it fixed.
“What does that say about our health system?” he asked.
“The amount of money thrown at that hospital, money thrown at the stadium in Hobart – the state government’s got it’s priorities wrong.”
The Mercury has seen an internal email sent to LGH staff on Tuesday morning by Jen Duncan, chief executive of Hospitals North, in which she described the heat woes in D Block as a “long historical issue”.
“Consultation with the Deputy Secretary of Infrastructure has determined one of the eight chillers ‘tripped out’... reducing capacity by 10–12 per cent and causing a temperature spike,” the email said.
“The system was designed to cater for 28 degrees Celsius external ambient and as a result higher external temp causes problems.
“The airflow is also problematic, with cool air fed into corridors and drawn through rooms via toilet outlets which was changed based on feedback from Infection Prevention and Control Service around Covid.
“It is acknowledged the system has more load on it than originally anticipated, additions to buildings and small changes over many years means there hasn’t been a real overhaul of the system.”
Ms Duncan said a “project group” would be convened next week for “review of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and airconditioning) across the campus and replacement of the system as part of the major risk”.
A Work Health and Safety Assessment will also take place “early next week to determine future staffing considerations for the area”.
“The heat issue is logged in our risk system and is managed in alignment with the SRLS (Safety Reporting Learning System) processes,” Ms Duncan said in the email.
Deputy Secretary Infrastructure Shane Gregory said “Patient safety is of utmost importance to the Department of Health”.
“The community can be assured that the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) is safe,” he said.
“The air conditioning unit in the LGH’s D-Block has experienced a fault in recent days, which is being repaired as a matter of priority.
“Patients are being monitored closely and extra support and relief has been provided to D-Block staff, including an additional air-conditioned break out area.
“The Tasmanian Government has invested $1.4 million on cooling in priority areas of the LGH since 2018, and a project team is also currently reviewing the hospital’s air conditioning system more broadly, to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.”
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Originally published as Launceston General Hospital: Aircon no longer fit for purpose
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