A parliamentary committee has launched an inquiry into ramping and access block at NSW hospitals, an issue that has plagued Wollongong and Shoalhaven hospitals and one paramedics say is only getting worse.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
MLC Greg Donnelly, the chairman of the committee, said the inquiry would look at the causes of ambulance ramping, access block and emergency department delays.
"It will also consider the effects these issues have on patients, paramedics, emergency department and other hospital staff," Mr Donnelly said.
Ramping happens when patients - and the paramedics caring for them - have to wait in ambulances outside a hospital because the emergency department is full, while access block is what occurs when a patient cannot be admitted to hospital due to a lack of beds.
Just a week ago, the Illawarra Shoalhaven sub-branch of the Health Services Union's ambulance division reported that at least eight patients were delayed from getting into Wollongong Hospital.
Some waited on an ambulance stretcher for over four hours, and the union said night shift crews took on more work so their day colleagues could go home before their next shift.
HSU delegate Tess Oxley said around the clock, ambulances were getting delayed - routinely for three to four hours, but increasingly up to eight or nine hours.
Ms Oxley said the problem was becoming worse and it was people's lives that were at stake.
Read more: Less coal but more revenue for South32
She welcomed the inquiry and hoped it would lead to recommendations that would help address the issue.
"It acknowledges it is an issue and it is happening," Ms Oxley said.
The inquiry will also examine how access to other healthcare services, such as GPs, aged care, disability services and primary healthcare, affects emergency department presentations.
The effectiveness of NSW Health's current measures to address issues will also come under the microscope.
Submissions to the inquiry are open until September 11.
More information is available online.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
