Media release – Sarah Courtney, Minister for Health, 19 August 2020
Mersey Community Hospital update
The number one priority for the Tasmanian Health Service is the safety of staff and patients.
In order to ensure high-quality care for our patients, it is imperative that we only provide services in situations where appropriate staff levels are available.
Due to impacts on the THS’s ability to source appropriate locum coverage caused by the national coronavirus situation, the opening hours of the Mersey Community Hospital’s emergency department need to be altered.
From next Monday, the MCH’s emergency department will be open from 8am to 6pm. This is instead of the 8am to 10pm opening hours it is currently operating on.
The majority of locums who staff the MCH’s emergency department are from interstate. Due to current quarantine requirements and travel restrictions, finding locums to be able to staff the emergency department has become extremely difficult.
This decision has not been taken lightly, and I acknowledge that this will likely cause some anxiety within the local community.
Unfortunately, the pressure placed on locum resources nationally is out of the Tasmanian Health Service’s control.
The Secretary of the Department of Health, along with the Chief Medical Officer, have been directly engaging with local medical and nursing leadership to explore all options to avoid having to reduce hours at the MCH ED, however no safe viable alternatives were able to be determined.
I want to assure the community that the Government and the THS remain committed to providing safe services for the North West region. As soon as we are able to safely staff the Mersey ED for a longer time we will not hesitate to increase the opening hours again. I remain committed to returning the Mersey ED to a 24 hours service as soon as we are safely able to staff it.
I acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our staff and thank each and every one of them. They have been going above and beyond for a long time now and it is important that we support them to provide the best possible care to their community. We will also be working with Ambulance Tasmania to ensure there is appropriate support available to the region after-hours, including aeromedical support.
Patients requiring emergency care after hours will be treated at either the North West Regional Hospital or the Launceston General Hospital.
Concerted recruitment efforts are continuing for a number of positions in an effort to relieve the current situation, and these include permanent roles for medical professionals.
Media Release – AMA President Dr Helen McArdle, Wednesday 19 August 2020
STATEMENT FROM AMA TASMANIA PRESIDENT DR HELEN MCARDLE
“AMA Tasmania welcomes the decision to change the operating hours of the Mersey Emergency Department to business hours only from next week, as we continue to face the pressures brought on by not being able to access locums during COVID-19.
“AMA Tasmania wrote to the Government yesterday calling for immediate action as Doctors in the North West are at breaking point trying to keep both Emergency Departments open.
“Doctors are going beyond the call of duty covering as many extra rosters as possible, but in the end, something had to give.
“Hospitals risked losing doctors from burnout and ED services at both Mersey and Burnie risked being unsafe, without a change in hours.
“It is just not possible to keep staffing all the rosters without access to locums or more staff.
“We also welcome the commitment to expand permanent staffing to the EDs, which will enable services to return to normal in time.
“The challenge will now be to recruit to the new positions as soon as possible.”
Media release – ANMF, 20 August 2020
Mersey Community Hospital ED Reduced Opening Hours
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) were advised late yesterday that the Mersey Community Hospital opening hours were to be reduced further to 8am – 6pm, due to an inability to safely staff the medical practitioner’s roster.
ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary, Emily Shepherd said that “the news came suddenly, it was not a surprise that COVID-19 had hampered the ability to access locum medical staff to enable safe staffing of the Mersey Community Hospital”.
“The ANMF very much support the Mersey Community Hospital Emergency Department re-opening 24/7, however this needs to be done safely. Therefore, if there is not sufficient medical staff then this is not safe and must be addressed before returning to full operating hours.”
The ANMF were advised by Government that there will be a concerted effort over the next three months while the Mersey Community Hospital Emergency Department opening hours are reduced, to recruit permanent medical staff to the area.
“The ANMF welcomed the decision to recruit permanent medical staff to the Mersey Community Hospital Emergency Department, as this will ensure that there are no further circumstances in the future where opening hours are hampered due to the reliance on locum medical staff.”
“Permanent medical staff along with a strong nursing team at the Mersey Community Hospital Emergency Department will provide needed stability and confidence for the staff, but also the patients, their families and broader community.”
The ANMF will be holding extensive consultation with members over the coming days to determine what resources, policies, and support nursing staff will need to ensure that when the reduced hours take effect at the Mersey Community Hospital Emergency Department next week, the nursing team as well as the community, are confident in the plan.
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Labor Member for Braddon & Shane Broad MP, Labor Member for Braddon, 20 August 2020
North West community needs answers on Mersey ED
The announcement late last night of a further reduction in the operating hours at the Mersey Community Hospital’s emergency department has shocked the North West community.
Labor Member for Braddon Anita Dow said the North West community and hardworking health professionals had endured an extremely difficult time with significant pressures on, and changes to, health services during the NW COVID outbreak.
“To issue a press release late at night announcing further cuts to operating hours is very disappointing, when the Minister for Health could have provided an update to the Parliament and to the community directly,” Ms Dow said.
“The government has blamed the decision on the lack of locum staff available to work at the Mersey, yet this is not a new issue and the government should have been working on a plan to address it before the further complications of COVID.
“The government said it would work with Ambulance Tasmania to ensure they have adequate resources to support the change – why wasn’t this done prior to making the decision?”
Labor Member for Braddon Shane Broad said Health Minister Sarah Courtney had failed to provide certainty about a date for the emergency department to return to full operation.
“The Minister for Health says she cares about the North West and the Mersey Community Hospital, yet is continually downgrading services, and failing to answer basic questions.
“Sending vulnerable patients further away to emergency departments that are already facing their own pressure isn’t demonstrating care – it is treating them with contempt, and increasing pressure on health services right across the north of the state.
“The Government needs to commit to a date to restore the emergency department to full operation. The community has been calling out for, and deserves, answers.”
Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson, 20 August 2020
Community Leaders Should Support Public Health Advice
It is the responsibility of community leaders to support the advice of public health officials. It is important in ensuring the ongoing safety of all Tasmanians in this ongoing pandemic.
Especially now, we need to be focussed on unifying our community, given the many pressures and anxieties people are experiencing.
Elected members and other public figures have every right to ask questions about our COVID-19 response – scrutiny is an essential component of democracy. We urge all people in leadership positions, however, to use their platform responsibly.
The relative safety of our island home did not happen by accident. Tasmania’s response, guided by expert public health advice, took us from a serious outbreak to being envied the world over. You don’t have to look far afield to see how much worse things could have been.
While Tasmania is in a good position, we can’t be complacent. It is crucial we continue to listen to public health experts, and understand the very real risks associated with failing to do so.
Some recent comments by Labor members have been disappointing, and appear to be undermining the advice of public health experts.
There is a real risk the community’s trust in – and compliance with – public health advice could be undermined if all leaders do not continue to take it seriously. The potential consequences of this have been tragically demonstrated in Victoria.
Community leaders play a significant role in our ongoing COVID-19 response. It is our responsibility to support the decisions made by public health experts, not dilute the public safety message.
