Jillian Skinner deflects blame for Wollongong Hospital

By Bevan Shields
Updated November 6 2012 - 2:50am, first published November 8 2011 - 10:19am
Wollongong Hospital, as seen from the Botanic Gardens.
Wollongong Hospital, as seen from the Botanic Gardens.

Jillian Skinner was a tough talker in opposition but seems to have lost her voice in government.The NSW Health Minister yesterday deflected responsibility for data showing Wollongong Hospital is the slowest in the state for treating ambulance arrivals.Figures revealed by the Mercury yesterday showed that during winter, 1093 patients waited in a hallway for up to six hours before being handed to emergency department staff.Ms Skinner yesterday blamed the delays on the former Labor government’s ‘‘complete mismanagement’’ of the health system.‘‘The reality is that patients are stuck on stretchers in our hospital corridors tying up valuable ambulance resources because there are simply not enough beds for them to go to,’’ she said.The Government has not opened any new beds at Wollongong Hospital since the March 26 election.Sixty-three new beds have been opened at other large hospitals such as Prince of Wales, St Vincent’s, Sutherland and Westmead.This year’s state budget does include funding for 21 new acute-care beds at Wollongong Hospital and money to complete the design and documentation of an $83million surgical centre.Last year, Ms Skinner said the former government’s $500,000 allocation towards the project showed a lack of commitment to the expansion.However, Ms Skinner allocated just $1million towards the project in this year’s state budget.Ms Skinner yesterday opted against releasing ambulance waiting times for spring until the independent Bureau of Health Information (BHI) confirmed the data was of ‘‘sufficient quality and consistency to publish’’.‘‘I will await further advice from the BHI before making a decision,’’ she said.Health Services Union east divisional secretary Gerard Hayes said paramedics often spent more time in corridors than on the road.‘‘There is nothing worse than hearing a job over the radio and knowing you really need to get there as soon as possible but you’re stuck in a hospital corridor,’’ he said.Mr Hayes said members could not understand why Ambulance Relief Teams, which help get paramedics back on the road quicker, are not used at Wollongong Hospital.The teams involve an off-duty paramedic being called in to monitor multiple waiting patients.‘‘They have them in Sydney and on the Central Coast, so why is the Illawarra out of favour?’’ he asked.

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