Pop-up medical ward to ease Logan Hospital bed shortage
A stop-gap solution will be dropped in by crane to take pressure off one of southeast Queensland’s most overstretched hospitals.
QLD News
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A HI-TECH pop-up medical ward will be dropped in by crane to take pressure off the beleaguered Logan Hospital emergency department.
The temporary, ready-made medical version of a demountable classroom – complete with air-conditioning, medical gases, clinical lighting and nurses’ stations – will be installed in the hospital after a tender is awarded next month.
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The stop-gap announcement comes after The Courier-Mail exposed chronic bed shortages at the hospital, which saw mental health patients housed in corridors and a first-time mum asked to move to another facility within hours of giving birth.
Redland Hospital emergency physician Michael Cameron this week also took the extraordinary step of speaking out about severe pressure on EDs across the Metro South Hospital and Health Service, which includes the Logan, Princess Alexandra and QEII hospitals.
State Health Minister Steven Miles said the short-term unit would deliver up to 27 more beds in a transit care hub adjacent to the Logan ED.
“We’ve seen these rapid expansion wards rolled out in other parts of the state previously and they’ve proven an effective interim solution that mean we can treat more patients sooner,” Mr Miles said.
He said the unit would help ease pressure on Logan Hospital ahead of plans for a $280 million expansion of Logan Hospital, designed to deliver up to 192 more beds, with construction due to start next year.
It comes on top of a proposed $1.5 million dedicated space for mental health within the Logan ED, which Mr Miles said would be fast-tracked.
The national head of the medical college representing specialist emergency physicians yesterday backed Dr Cameron and said he would visit Queensland next month to speak to members about issues at public hospitals, including bed shortages.
Australasian College for Emergency Medicine president Simon Judkins said the college supported the push for better patient care.
“ACEM would welcome working with the Metro South HHS on mitigating and addressing existing demand pressures,” Dr Judkins said.
“We need long-term system-wide reforms to support equal access to hospital care.”
Dr Judkins rejected suggestions that people turning up at EDs with complaints that could be seen by a GP were the main reason for long delays and overcrowding.
“The main cause of overcrowded emergency departments is the ongoing issue of admitted patients having to stay longer in the emergency department because they are unable to access beds on the wards of the hospital for their ongoing care,” he said.
Originally published as Pop-up medical ward to ease Logan Hospital bed shortage
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