Staff at the coalface of both the Launceston general and the royal Hobart hospital say the situation is the worst it’s ever been. Tasmanians have been asked to stay away from emergency departments unless they genuinely need emergency medical treatment as the hospitals are beset by high demand combined with staff illness and bed block.
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00:00 Last month David Lowe suffered severe bleeding and was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital by ambulance.
00:07 He says he was ramped for more than six hours before being admitted to the emergency department.
00:13 There's something wrong with the system, there's something broke.
00:17 I haven't got an answer but there is an answer out there somewhere.
00:20 People are going to die and they're going to die in the hallway.
00:23 And that's not what you want.
00:25 The Health Department is now warning people to stay away from emergency departments at the Royal Hobart and Launceston General Hospitals unless they need life-saving medical treatments.
00:37 If you don't have an emergency condition, don't present to the emergency department.
00:43 There's a range of different primary health care providers that are important as part of that.
00:48 Seasonal respiratory illnesses are being blamed for more patients presenting and more doctors and nurses off sick.
00:55 On top of that, many hospital beds are filled with patients waiting to be discharged to aged and disability care.
01:02 Our members are telling us both at the LGH and the Royal Hobart Hospital that the emergency department situation and the environment in which they're working is the worst that they've ever seen.
01:13 The opposition's blaming the government for the system getting to such a crisis point.
01:18 Health outcomes have not improved under this government. That has to be the measure of success. And on that measure, this government has failed.
01:25 What is the solution is the Liberal government getting on with the job of opening up beds, opening up wards and beds and employing 2,300 additional staff.
01:36 The hospitals are closely monitoring elective surgery demand and are engaging with private hospitals to access additional beds.
01:44 Tasmanians are being urged to use the recently opened urgent care clinics in Hobart and Launceston for non-emergency medical care.
01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]