Need for more nurses at Dubbo Hospital
A Dubbo Photo News reader has expressed concerns about low staff numbers at Dubbo Hospital following her family’s recent experience there. “It may be a brand new hospital but (the) standards have dropped badly. They are obviously short-staffed and they are too keen to discharge patients early. Once upon a time nursing was all about the patient – not numbers,” the regional resident, who preferred her name not to be published, told Dubbo Photo
Her comments are in line with a number received through our editorial team, and via the Thumbs Up/down column.
Several weeks ago, this reader’s husband was admitted to hospital for a knee operation. He felt that he was treated like a number, so she felt compelled to write to this newspaper.
At one point, she explained, her husband requested medication but it never came, not through lack of care but, our reader felt, because staff were overwhelmed at the time. She believed there were “not enough people on the floor”.
“Ten months ago he was in a room of four... and I felt the staff at that time were coping much better. They were able to chat with patients – not long conversations, just a ‘hello’, that sort of thing.
“They were efficient but much more relaxed. There was absolutely no fault in their care, but they were obviously run off their feet,” she said.
“I understand patients from Gunnedah, Mudgee and Tamworth are accessing Dubbo as Tamworth (hospital) is full, and it probably meant Dubbo was full.”
She had previously thought understaffing was something that only happened in capital city hospitals.
“You read about this type of hospital environment in metro hospitals, but not here. We were shocked,” she said.
Dubbo Photo News contacted Western NSW Local Health District for comment on this reader’s concerned, and they were very quick to respond, stating: “Staff at all our health services strive to provide the best care possible to all our patients. We are sorry that on this occasion the patient and their family did not have the same positive experience as they have previously had in Dubbo Hospital.
“When patients, or their families, are concerned about the care aa Molupta nihit eatempos eum ulpa volla sit que netur arumquam qui int que consequasit veligniste di blanima. being provided we encourage them to raise their concerns with the nurse manager or manager of the ward or service they are in at the time. This can help us identify how we can help and improve our services.
“Staffing at the hospital is in line with the volume and clinical requirements of its patients, and an additional capacity of 10 beds will be created with the redevelopment of the surgical inpatient unit, all of which will be permanently available when the sixth operating theatre is commissioned,” the statement said.
“To ensure staffing increases in line with the hospital’s development, nearly 90 additional positions are being added, with the majority already in place, and there will be more to come in future years.”
In the Bureau of Health Information’s 2016 survey of adult patients admitted to Dubbo Hospital, 95 per cent said they rated the care they received as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
The recent NSW budget will see the Western NSW Local Health District budget increase by 4.5 per cent to $941.8 million.
“Dubbo Hospital is a major referral centre for many communities in the north west of NSW and Some patients are under the impression Dubbo Hospital is understaffed, which is impacting the level of care, however the Health Department says there is light at the end of a $941.8 million tunnel. PHOTO: DUBBO PHOTO NEWS
it is expanding the volume and complexity of its services,” NSW Health told Dubbo Photo News.
New developments include the opening of a new clinical services building as part of Stages 1 and 2 in late 2015, and more recently, a new 34-bed surgical unit, which opened in March this year.
When Stage 4 construction is complete, the community will receive a state-of-the-art hospital.