A Calderwood woman says she was recently advised to go to Wollongong Hospital emergency department to get treatment for her young son's ear infection, due to a lack of GP appointments across the region.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This flies in the face of the advice from NSW Health, which has been urging people to save the struggling emergency department and ambulance service for true emergencies.
Tamara, who declined to give her last name as she is closely related to a hospital worker, said she was concerned to be told the only way to get a routine course of antibiotics for her five-year-old son within a week would be to take him to emergency.
"My son is prone to ear infections and he started tugging on his ear and we checked his temperature and knew it was the start of an ear infection, so we called up the doctor straight away," she said.
"Every single doctor I called, in Albion Park, Shellharbour, told me there were no appointments until the next week, or that they wouldn't take him because they were all full up with their patients. I got a bit upset, because I thought, he's five years old we could just be seen to really quickly.
"So I showed up at Wollongong Medical Centre, but they said they don't take walk-ins any more and there were only appointments in a week. So I called Dapto Medical Centre and they said they didn't take walk-ins either."
"I ended up getting a cancellation appointment at Dapto for two days later, but before I got that, the only other advice they said they could tell me was to go to emergency."
Tamara said she was concerned that patients being pushed to the emergency department for non-emergencies would add to the already overburdened system.
She was not the only Mercury reader to describe this situation, with others posting to social media that they had also been advised to take their young kids to emergency.
Natalie Strachan Ryan wrote on Facebook that she was also recently trying to get her daughter antibiotics, but that her own GP was booked for weeks and other medical centres were not taking walk-ins or new patients.
"All places I called wouldn't see [us] face-to-face because it was COVID symptoms (not COVID)," she said.
"[I] was advised by everywhere to just go and sit in emergency."
"This was the first time we had needed a doctor in a while for illness and it was scary to be unable to access a single one especially when it was for one of the kids."
This week a receptionist at Wollongong Medical Centre, which has been known for taking patients without bookings in the past, said they had not taken walk-ins since the start of the pandemic.
The Mercury was unable to get through to reception at Dapto Medical Centre, but a recorded message directed patients to make online bookings and said the centre was experiencing staff shortages due to COVID.
Reader Chevonne Cowell wrote that she recently went to the medical centre at Dapto for a non emergency on a Friday afternoon, only to find the entire centre closed.
"I had called to make an appointment with no one answering the phone," she said.
"Got down there as I thought maybe they are short staffed and just not answering, to find a note in the door that they were closed early.
"This is a centre with 20 odd rooms for doctors and not one available to work? So all of those patients potentially then showing up to an ED.
"The system is at crisis levels and the government keeps turning a blind eye. The entire healthcare system is not coping."
Amid increasing reports of long delays and staff shortages at Wollongong's emergency department, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District has repeatedly urged people not to use the ED for non-emergencies.
"Patients with minor injuries or minor illnesses are encouraged to seek care at a medical centre or GP rather than wait in the ED," district chief Margot Mains said.
"I want to remind our community that people should never hesitate to call an ambulance or seek direct treatment from ED if they or a loved one are seriously unwell or injured; that is the primary focus of the ED."
However, Wollongong MP Paul Scully agreed with readers the problems accessing GPs were pushing more people to use emergency.
"A number of local GPs have stopped bulk billing, because the bulk billing rates paid by the Commonwealth are not keeping up with the cost of providing the services," he said.
"With more expensive GPs, and with wages not increasing, people are starting to default to the ED where they might have ordinarily seen a GP."
Despite the issued being reported by readers, the South Eastern NSW Primary Health Network has urged more people to see their GPs, especially after putting off appointments during COVID-19 peaks.
In a media release last month, acting Coordinare CEO Andrew Gow, said he was concerned about research showing 16 per cent of people aged 45 plus reported missing or delaying a healthcare appointment, and that 32 per cent of these missed appointments were with GPs.
"It is important that people, especially those with chronic conditions and older people, continue to look after their health and wellbeing during these challenging times," he said.
"The last thing we want is an increase in serious health issues and worsening of chronic conditions after COVID-19."
Mr Gow said GPs played a critical role in treating patients with chronic conditions, as well as a range of other conditions and providing preventative advice.
"It's never been easier to access a GP - people can now have a consultation online, over the phone or in person," he said.
"For most people, a telephone or video consultation will be suitable - but some patients will still need to see their GP in person for a flu or COVID vaccine, pathology tests or physical examination.
"Some practices are extending their opening hours or providing vaccinations via drive-through or pop-up clinics in order to reduce foot traffic through the medical centres.
"So don't forget - GPs are available and ready to see you."
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
