Media release – Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Secretary Department of Health, 24 May 2022
Demand at the Launceston General Hospital
The Launceston General Hospital is currently experiencing a significant level of acute care demand impacting the Launceston General Hospital Emergency Department.
If people have conditions that are not life-threatening and can be treated by a general practitioner, we encourage them to reconsider attending the Launceston General Hospital Emergency Department during this surge period.
As the hospital manages increased demand for emergency services, we ask the public for their patience and understanding should they experience longer waiting times for lower acuity presentations.
LGH staff are working hard to address the high demand and the public can have confidence that the needs of emergency presentations will be met.
The hospital is also managing a COVID-19 outbreak on 5D medical ward which has been closed to new admissions, impacting on patient flow. Patient and Staff COVID screening is underway and eight patients and two staff members have tested positive to the virus.
All possible bed alternatives, including already contracted private hospital beds and available district hospital beds will be utilised as appropriate to support patient access and flow.
If you require medical assistance that is not urgent or life-threatening, please contact Health Direct on 1800 022 222 (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au). Healthdirect provides free, trusted health information and advice, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Alternatively explore booking an appointment with a local GP, including available after-hours services, which are located in the Launceston CBD and Newstead.
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Shadow Health Minister, 24 May 2022
Rockliff-Ferguson budget can no longer ignore dire state of hospitals
The catastrophic situation today at the Launceston General Hospital should be a final wake-up call to the Rockliff-Ferguson Government to provide urgent and increased funding in the Budget this week.
The dire situation which has unfolded today resulting in patients being asked to reconsider visiting the LGH because staff are overwhelmed, is a direct consequence of eight years of under-funding and under-resourcing by successive Liberal Governments.
The Rockliff-Ferguson Government need to get serious about finally addressing the years of neglect and provide funding that will allow nurses, doctors and other staff to do their jobs.
It’s not good enough that today staff have been forced to turn away all patients other than those with serious, life-threatening conditions.
This government has failed to deliver better health services in Tasmania and its current economic management isn’t working for Tasmanians.
Rockliff-Ferguson Budget cannot fail frontline paramedics again
The first State Budget of the Rockliff-Ferguson Government must address the on-going crisis engulfing the ambulance service which continues to have a devastating effect on paramedics, volunteers and Tasmanians needing help in emergencies.
Ambulance response times have blown out by 30 per cent under the Liberal Government and Tasmania has the worst response times in the country.
It is a sad, unacceptable fact that Tasmanians are dying waiting for an ambulance.
Paramedics and volunteers have been left without the resources they urgently need to ensure there are no more avoidable deaths.
The Rockliff-Ferguson Government has done nothing to address the serious problems that were identified in the resilience scan of Ambulance Tasmania staff undertaken in 2021.
Three years ago a Federal Senate Inquiry into the mental health of first responders released 14 recommendations but to date just one has been implemented by the Tasmanian Liberal Government.
Meantime, paramedics and volunteer ambulance officers in Tasmania remain under unprecedented pressure, dealing with unfilled shifts, fatigue alerts and a lack of resources.
On Thursday the Rockliff-Ferguson Government releases its Budget and there is no excuse for not providing increased funding to ensure our paramedics and volunteers are given better resources and mental health support and to fix ambulance ramping across the state.
