A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

EThey care for us whenwe need it.

MERGENCY care is one critical part of a complex health system. This week, the Townsville University Hospital and the Townsville Bulletin have joined forces to shed a light on the important work being done in one of the busiest emergency departments in the state as part of the new series ED: Behind the curtain.

A feature with emergency department director Dr Luke Lawton is the first of five stories in a series that will tell the story of the city’s pulsing ED.

The series will share the stories and challenges associated with looking after more than 90,000 people a year who come through the doors injured, sick, drug affected, scared, dying or otherwise in need of help.

The Townsville University Hospital emergency department offers a critical service to our community – they care for us when we need it.

But as health care becomes more and more politicised, there is a need to step back, take stock and listen to the professionals behind the ED curtain.

In the first story with our emergency department staff, Dr

Lawton said the hospital dealt with a lot of patients, and the reality was that some people needed to wait for help.

“We have a lot of patients and, for some patients, if we don’t get to them quickly will die,” Dr Lawton said.

“If you’re having a major heart attack, how quickly we get you to the catheter lab directly affects the rest of your life.”

He said that in emergency medicine, there were some things that really, really mattered and other things that did not matter so much.

The emergency department must make decisions about who needs to be seen first to make sure the most critical patients get the help they need.

The five-part series is a great insight into the sheer hard work and pressure that this frontline department faces.

It’s worth the time to read it.