Mildura Base Hospital may be forced to cut emergency department, pediatric care under cuts

Tens of thousands of Victorians face being left without access to critical emergency care as the Mildura Base Hospital warns it will have to cut services to meet the state government’s tough new cost saving targets.

Tens of thousands of Victorians face being left without access to critical emergency care because of efforts by one of the state’s major hospitals to meet the Allan government’s tough new cost saving targets.

As the government works to rein in an estimated $1bn in spending across the health sector, the Mildura Base Hospital has warned the only way it can meet tough new targets is by shutting its emergency department and ending pediatric care.

But it has identified the risk to patients as “extreme”.

The proposal – which was agreed to by the board and formally put to the Department of Health this week – would see tens of thousands of Victorians forced to travel up to 400km for emergency care.

The board also agreed to stop maternity services, end pediatrics services, close the hospital’s Aboriginal health unit and close at least one operating theatre and defer elective surgery.

Mildura Base Hospital has warned the only way it can meet tough new targets is by shutting its emergency department and ending pediatric care.

Details of the proposal were revealed in explosive health documents obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun this week.

They show an initial budget action plan prepared by the hospital was rejected by the Department of Health who said in an email this week: “the proposals outlined in your Budget Action Plan are not sufficient for your health service to achieve a break-even result in 2024-25.”

“The department does request you provide additional actions as part of your Budget Action Plan, to achieve a break-even result.”

In an email to board members a hospital executive director made clear the revised action plan submitted to the department would have an adverse effect on patients.

He said the hospital did not support the initiative but had added them to meet the department’s directive to achieve a net even position

The board was warned that the risks associated with the initiatives were “extreme” because of the requirement for ambulances and patients to be diverted up to 400kms away forcing delayed critical care.

The hospital may also be forced to cut frontline staff. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh.

Other measures being considered by the hospital include a reduction in frontline staff, and the development of in-house services, increasing non-grant revenue sources and identifying partnership opportunities.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands a crisis board meeting was held early on Saturday to address the initiatives.

Mildura MP Jade Benham said the proposal would cost lives.

“If you needed a brutal reality check on how serious Victoria’s health crisis has become, here it is,” she said.

“This will cost lives. To send ambulances 400km or more away to emergency departments at other hospitals is insanity.

“We have been lied to by an Allan Labor Government that can’t manage money and can’t manage the health system. Victorians now may pay the ultimate price.”

Mildura Base Public Hospital is the major public referral health service for the Northern Mallee subregion of the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria, the far west region of NSW, and the Riverland area of South Australia.

Mildura MP Jade Benham says the proposal will cost lives. Picture David Geraghty

The Nationals MP warned that the mooted merger of the state’s 76 health services into 12 would further compromise the safety of her constituents.

“It is worth mentioning that we still have a local board and local management who can push back against these initiatives and who understand the tri-state landscape,” she said.

“Where will we be when we lose that?”

The Herald Sun understands the government will not consider the proposal, while the hospital

argues it is the only way they could meet the department’s new financial targets.

Chief executive Tony Welch downplayed the proposal on Saturday and said it was pulled together to show the department “how extreme it would be for us to get back to a break even budget”.

Mr Welch said they were not looking to shut any of the mentioned services in an unlisted YouTube video posted by the hospital’s account.

“These are only topics of discussion, nothing is locked away and I am very confident nothing to that magnitude will ever happen,” he said.

“The minister has been very clear, no services will be shut.

“That (the proposal) was just something we were requested to do for the department to get back to a break even budget.”

Mildura is one of a number of Victorian hospitals which has warned jobs and services are at risk due to funding cuts. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh.

A Mildura Base Public Hospital spokesman said nothing had been finalised.

“We are working with the department to finalise our budget and will continue to do so,” he said.

The government is currently working through submissions from health services across the state before announcing final budgets in coming weeks.

The Royal Children’s Hospital is among hospitals which has warned jobs and services are at risk, with sources revealing it is bracing for funding cuts of up to $60m.

Monash Health has been working to find savings of $350m while Alfred Hospital insiders say up to $180m could be wiped from its books.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital is bracing for up to $230m in cuts over the next two years, while Bendigo Health is looking to reduce costs by $120m.

Jacinta Allan this week committed to handing out top-up funds to ensure no cuts to frontline staff or services.

A government spokesman said they were investing a record $20bn into the hospital system this year.

“Only Labor invests in our health system,” he said.