20 beds at Victoria children's hospital will not open — ABC News Australia
In the Australian state of Victoria, 20 new beds in the emergency department of the Royal Children's Hospital will be unable to receive patients because no funding has been allocated for the additional staff needed to operate them. This was reported by ABC News Australia, citing hospital sources.
The new beds are part of a A$50 million upgrade of the medical facility, which the state government announced in 2018. The work is nearing completion, but there is currently no additional funding for the staff required to operate the new spaces.
Possible staff redeployment
According to ABC News Australia, one option being considered is redeploying staff from other hospital departments. A letter circulated among senior medical staff expressed disappointment that the emergency department expansion was nearing completion without prospects of staffing it and opening the new premises.
The letter also noted that staff had worked for years in conditions of insufficient resources and rapidly growing demand. By 2018, the hospital was receiving more than 80,000 children a year, while the addition of 20 beds was expected to represent a 50% increase in capacity.
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Medics' concerns
Staff put up posters in the emergency department as part of legally protected industrial action during pay negotiations. One poster stated that there was no funding for the necessary additional staff for the expansion. Another apologised to patients for long waits and said the department, which serves about 90,000 patients each year, had below-average staffing and bed numbers.
Simon Judkins, president of the Australian Medical Association Victoria, said the organisation was aware of the situation and had spoken with concerned staff. According to him, 20 treatment spaces without staff will not make it possible to meet growing demand and will increase the burden on medical workers.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the authorities were working with the hospital to launch services in the expanded department after the work is completed. The hospital said it was working with the Department of Health to improve children’s and young people’s access to emergency medical care.
