Postcards to back LGH action

POSTCARDS from patients and their families upset about waiting times at the Launceston General Hospital’s emergency department will be sent to the Tasmanian Government as part of industrial action.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation says a 55 per cent increase in category 1 patient numbers and a 32 per cent jump in category 2 patients had been recorded at the LGH over the past five years

The Government has said it would open 40 more beds — some next year and all by 2023.

But the union says it needs more urgent action.

“Despite the increase in presentations and the acuity of patients presenting, little has been done to ensure timely transfers to inpatient beds or appropriate resourcing,” the union’s Tasmanian branch secretary Emily Shepherd said.

The union launched its “Bring Your Own Bed” industrial campaign at the hospital yesterday.

“It is critical that capacity at the LGH is reviewed as a matter of urgency,” Ms Shepherd said. “ANMF members are increasingly frustrated by the lack of action despite positive solutions being put forward.”

Those solutions included bringing in psychiatric emergency nurses across all shifts in the ED, permanently opening and staffing inpatient beds on Ward 4D and opening and staffing all beds in the ICU.

During the industrial campaign ANMF members will be handing out postcards to patients and their families who are unsatisfied with wait times.

The postcards will be sent to the Health Minister.

The minister, Michael Ferguson, said the industrial action was hard to comprehend.

“Not only have we announced 40 new beds, including a new ward as part of a major redevelopment of the LGH, planning on these works will begin within our first 100 days,” he said.

“The first beds will open next year with the remainder by 2023.

“… In this context the question has to be asked if today’s ANMF action is simply a smokescreen for a wages campaign.”