Wollongong Hospital will create a dedicated intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Also, changes to elective surgery will free up the staff to work in the new intensive care area.
By March 23, Wollongong Hospital will increase its current Intensive Care Unit to 25 beds spread over two separate pods, with one pod for COVID-19 patients and the other for non-COVID-19 admissions.
Should it be required, the hospital will have capacity to create another ICU with additional capacity of up to 21 beds by the end of the month.
Chief Executive, Margot Mains, said the changes to elective surgery will only apply to non-urgent cases "mainly urology and orthopaedics".
Ms Mains said there will be no change to Wollongong's emergency and trauma theatres as well as urgent surgery cases.
"This move will free up staff usually working in, or support of, theatre to immediately undertake more specialised training so they may be redeployed to work in intensive care, where the plan is designed to double our current capacity," she said.
"We are now working closely with our clinicians to prioritise these cases. We are also liaising with private providers to undertake these elective surgeries in their facilities, helping to minimise the impact on those currently waiting for a procedure."
Elective surgery at Shellharbour Hospital will carry on as normal at this stage, and significant plans are now being finalised for the approach at Shoalhaven Hospital.
"We are planning for scenarios that include staff unavailability due to sickness or carer duties at any point in time, which makes the cancellation of elective surgery to focus on training and redeployment so vital at this time," Ms Mains said.
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we aim to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
