Covid, NSW: Hospitals not coping as Delta reaches Batemans Bay

With the Delta strain on ‘the south coast’s doorstep’, there are calls for staffing levels to be ramped up and improvements to emergency and critical care as nurses warn hospitals can’t cope with the ‘lack of ventilators’.

With the Delta strain now ‘on the doorstep’ of the entire south coast, residents have petitioned the NSW government for immediate improvements to Eurobodalla hospitals.

Active cases in the state jumped to almost 25,000 on Monday after NSW recorded 1281 new local cases, including one at Batemans Bay, confirmed by Bega Liberal MP Andrew Constance on social media on Monday morning.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro during an update on COVID-19 in Sydney. Picture: Dylan Coker

Deputy Premier John Barilaro on Monday said it was “too early confirm” reports the Batemans Bay case is linked to a former prisoner of Parklea Correctional Centre.

Mr Barilaro said regional hospitals had a “good” relationship with metropolitan hospitals ahead of any further jump in cases.

The petition, led by the One Eurobodalla Hospital action group is calling for an “immediate meaningful improvement to the accident and emergency, critical care and perioperative services in the Eurobodalla”, with Delta begins to creep down the south coast.

Member of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Council and south coast nurse Diane Lang.

Member of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Council and south coast nurse Diane Lang, said nurses are “burnt out and fatigued”, while the region has a lack of ventilators.

“We’re not managing now, how will we manage more Covid cases?” she said.

“Our biggest concern is if we can staff the hospitals enough.

“It’s not about beds or equipment, it’s about staffing.”

She said the decisions made on staffing if cases grow in the Eurobodalla will have a “knock-on effect” across the south coast, and external staff from Sydney will be difficult to find.

The Eurobodalla has been promised a new $200 million regional hospital, which a Southern NSW Health District spokeswoman said is yet to have designs released with land at the Moruya site still yet to be bought.

Services will be “prioritised according to the expected clinical needs and anticipated future demand”.

Batemans Bay hospital currently provides level two emergency care, while Moruya hospital offers level three.

Batemans Bay hospital is a 31 bed hospital with level two emergency care.

“The new hospital will have more beds than are currently available in both Moruya and Batemans Bay hospitals combined and when complete it will include an emergency department, operating theatres, a day-stay surgical unit, increased capacity for chemotherapy, a close observation unit with capacity for intensive care services, paediatric and maternity, and education facilities,” she said.

“The hospital building will enable the local delivery of more complex clinical services, supporting the progression of services such as emergency medicine, critical care and maternity to a level four role delineation.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety of patients and staff, and the new hospital will require time to transition and develop the workforce to align with the new contemporary models of care, new facility, technology and ways of working.”

In Kiama, Bega and the Eurobodalla, at least 70 per cent of people aged 15 and older have received their first vaccine dose and 40 per cent have received their second dose.

“We are anticipating increased supply of vaccines very soon, which should help more people to get an appointment as soon as possible,” Southern NSW’s Primary Health Network, Coordinaire, CEO Dianne Kitcher said.

Bega state Liberal MP Andrew Constance described the Batemans Bay case as “bad news for us all”.

Andrew Constance announced the Batemans Bay case on social media on Monday morning.

Mr Barilaro said there was no plan to create vaccination hubs on the south coast but said the walk-in style clinics, like the one being used in Batemans Bay, could be expanded.

With pharmacists soon offering Moderna, there will be opportunities for residents to be vaccinated over “coming weeks”.

Bega Valley Shire Mayor, Russell Fitzpatrick, said while no fragments had been found in sewage at Eden, Bermagui, Merimbula and Bega, residents should “remain vigilant”.

“Unfortunately, there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Batemans Bay and Cooma – our neighbours,” he said.

“We all have a part to play in keeping Covid-safe and we ask everyone to ensure you are familiar with the current COVID-19 restrictions and to follow Covid-safe best practice wherever you are.

“If you are experiencing symptoms such as headache, nausea, sore throat, runny nose, cough, loss of smell or taste, or fever, you must get tested and you need to isolate until a negative result is received.

“We have testing clinics in Bega and Pambula with minimal queues, so there’s no excuse to not get tested should you be experiencing even the mildest of symptoms.”

The Southern NSW Local Health District has been contacted for further comment.