The worrying signs have been there ever since the first plans were drafted, but the reality and the practicality of our new health world have been on show with the opening of the new departments and the upgraded facilities of the Tamworth hospital.
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The $220 million redevelopment included, among many other impressive facilities, a new emergency department and a commitment to better manage bed block.
But as we reported on Thursday, eight ambulances were stuck at the hospital, including two local ambulances and others from outlying towns, including Gunnedah, Guyra and another from Warialda, 195 kilometres away.
Heath Services Union sub-branch secretary and paramedic, Brian Bridges, said paramedics were frustrated the bed block problems had not been addressed.
They had, he said, been assured the new emergency department was going to see a faster triage management of patients resulting in faster admissions and quicker turnaround times for paramedics.
Mr Bridges said some crews were caught waiting to unload patients for almost three hours.
There were allegations the NSW government had ignored a report by the auditor-general which recommended hospitals enact strategies to reduce ambulance waiting times.
There were not enough ambulance paramedics to deal with the increasing number of emergency calls, let alone have them spending hours waiting to unload patients.
Sure enough within a day, there were similar horror stories from other, bigger metro hospitals, and the Sydney media had picked up on the general criticism as well.
Weekend news reports suggested major state hospitals had been thrown into chaos by huge emergency department delays leaving ambulances stranded for hours and delaying patient care.
Known in fact as bed block, it occurred when ambulances were forced to line outside because of a lack of beds in hospitals.
While NSW Health insisted no patients were put at risk and those who needed urgent treatment got it – paramedics were apparently furious at delays, which they say put patients at risk because it leaves them unable to respond to other emergency calls.
They started a petition by Friday which had been signed by 1300 serving officers begging the ministry’s office to increase resources available to ambulance
Their complaint not only has to do with patient stress or risk, but also the fact the union says there’s not enough paramedics available to deal with increasing calls, let alone to sit waiting at hospitals.
It is a fact not lost on anyone.