AMA furious over ‘two-thirds solution’ at Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department

“Enough is enough.” Fury continues to build after news erupted that plans to expand the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department could be dramatically scaled back.

AMA Tasmania president Michael Lumsden-Steel. Picture: Linda Higginson.

Fury continues to build after news erupted that plans to expand the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department could be dramatically scaled back.

On Friday, it was reported that members of the emergency department’s management team told staff in a leaked email the redevelopment would not be fit for purpose or meet current or future needs, following a budget cut of $19m to $130m.

While the state government denied the budget had been cut, or that the redevelopment was “on hold”, tensions have continued to flare over what appears to be a significantly “reduced scope” in the project.

These include upgrades to only one level instead of two, and a failure to increase 82 current treatment points to a previously-planned 121.

A treatment point in the emergency department is a space or cubicle where a patient is assessed and cared for after being triaged.

The email also claimed that $50m more would be needed to deliver the project’s original plans.

The entrance to the Royal Hobart Hospital’s emergency department. Picture: Matt Thompson

“Enough is enough,” Michael Lumsden-Steel, the Australian Medical Association Tasmanian branch president, said.

Dr Lumsden-Steel said information from inside the hospital revealed “not one extra lie-down adult acute bed” would come from the $130m redevelopment, which he described as “beyond ridiculous”.

“The proposals aren’t fit for purpose,” he said.

“We see there being no point in developing a solution that’s two-thirds of what we need.”

Dr Lumsden-Steel said while it was apparent costs had blown out due to factors outside the government’s control, “that doesn’t mean you walk away from what you know you need to do”.

“What we’re seeing now is the building costs are blowing out. When you delay starting a project, the costs often get more expensive and that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” he said.

He said the government needed to prioritise its other projects, or reform state taxes, so it would have the revenue it needed for health infrastructure – not only for the emergency department, but also for other projects like the St John’s Park precinct redevelopment.

Labor leader Dean Winter said the government needed to be able to deliver services “fit for today’s needs and future needs”.

“It’s really important that governments deliver on their promises, and this is a 2021 election promise. It needs to be delivered in full,” he said.

“We’ve now got all the evidence from within the department, from the workforce, that this is a promise that is preparing to be broken, and the government is simply denying that’s the case.”

A state government spokesperson again denied there had been budget cuts to the project.

They also said there would be no new or increased taxes under the Liberal government, as committed to at the last election.

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