Nursing shortage leaves eight out of 24 emergency beds closed at Palmerston Hospital
A critical shortage of nurses at the Palmerston Regional Hospital has has forced the hospital to close eight out of its 24 emergency beds.
Northern Territory
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UPDATED: A THIRD of emergency beds at Palmerston Regional Hospital were closed on Thursday afternoon due to a lack of nursing staff, the NT News understands.
Eight of the hospital’s 24 ED beds will now be out of action for up to a month.
The news came at the same time that NT Health announced the Code Yellow affecting operations at Royal Darwin Hospital had been lifted on Thursday.
The revocation meant some non-essential surgeries cancelled on Wednesday can resume.
It is not yet clear whether the closure at Palmsteron Regional Hospital’s ED was directly connected to the lifting of the Code Yellow status in Darwin.
EARLIER: THE government would need to fly up to 100 nurses into the Territory to help the Top End’s ailing health system, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Union NT secretary Cath Hatcher has said.
Talking to Mix 104.9FM’s Katie Woolf, Ms Hatcher said “probably between 60 and 100” nurses would be needed to fill the gaps.
It follows Wednesday’s declaration of a Code Yellow at the Royal Darwin Hospital for the fourth time in 12 month.
A Code Yellow means some non-essential surgeries are cancelled to help redirect capacity to other parts of the health system, including the emergency department.
NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles on Wednesday said the Code Yellow had been declared partly because of around 50 aged and disability care patients needing beds at the RDH.
Ms Hatcher said a “purpose-built aged care facility” needs to be built now to ease pressure on the Top End’s healthcare system.
“Community support for the aged care and disability services within the community – that would help alleviate some of the beds enrolled on pumps and hospitals,” she said.
Ms Hatcher also flagged the possibility of using AUSMAT to care for patients.
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