External review to probe 'chronic' doctor shortages at Bulli hospital

Keira MP and shadow health minister Ryan Park said patients may not be seen at Bulli for "days on end", and asked Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who made an unexplained visit to Wollongong's northern suburbs on Friday, to explain.

"Given that access to health care is one of the biggest issues raised by residents living in the northern suburbs I would of thought the Premier might have an answer as to what her Government intends on doing to address it." Mr Park said.

Read more: Doctor not in the house at Bulli

"A chronic doctor shortage is leaving the urgent primary care centre without a doctor for days on end and causing patients to be sent to other facilities. We have a shining, new building but no doctors to treat patients."

A spokeswoman for NSW Health said there would be an "external review" into the doctor shortages at Bulli UCC, which has one doctor and one registered nurse.

"From time to time there are shortages in the availability of doctors at the UCC," she said.

"Hospital management makes every effort to fill all shifts, however as with many workplaces, school holidays and long weekends are particularly popular for leave.

"The [Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health] District acknowledges the challenges in attracting appropriate staff to the UCC and an external review will be conducted into the staffing of this facility so that a long-term resolution of this matter can be achieved.

"Patients presenting to the UCC are triaged by the registered nurse on duty, who determines the treatment plan or referral to an appropriate service. Patients may be redirected to Wollongong Hospital or their nearest Medical Centre if a doctor is unavailable and this is a safe option for the patient. In the event of an emergency, the patient is transferred to Wollongong Hospital via an ambulance.

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