Royal Hobart Hospital struggling under sudden spike in demand

THE Royal Hobart Hospital has had to implement its highest escalation level after a surge in demand for the emergency department.

Ambulances ramped at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

THE Royal Hobart Hospital was facing a surge in demand for emergency service and measures had been put in place to cope, the hospital’s executive clinical director said.

The hospital is currently operating at level four of its four-level escalation protocol.

“As of 11am, there were 45 patients in the emergency department, with 25 waiting for transfer to a ward,” Craig Quarmby said.

“Staff are doing everything they can to manage this demand. Patient care is being delivered in line with a normal triage protocol which means people in most need of medical care receive it as a priority. This means that some patients seeking care may wait for admission to a ward while patients with critical and life-threatening conditions are attended to first, but care will be provided within the emergency department.”

He said demand had slowed over the past 24 hours, but there was still a high number of presentations to the emergency department.

Labor’s health spokeswoman Sarah Lovell accused Health Minister Michael Ferguson of being missing in action.

“Health Minister Michael Ferguson is nowhere to be seen as the crisis in Tasmania’s hospital emergency departments continues to deepen,” she said.

“Level four is designed for crisis management but it’s become an almost weekly occurrence,” Ms Lovell said.

She said that every ambulance in Hobart has been queued on the ramp at the hospital twice this week.

Sarah Lovell.

Michael Ferguson.

Premier Will Hodgman said the Government was doing what it could to meet demand.

“Our view as a government is that we do need to do more to improve health services.

“That’s why we are investing record amounts of money but also most importantly going to the resources that the hospital and the health service needs to continue to reduce hospital waiting lists, to reduce demand at peak times such as now.”