The ambulance ramping that GV Health experienced this week, which left ten ambulances queued for up to nine hours and the region without available ambulances during that time, has highlighted once again that medical staff at the hospital are being pushed to their limits.
“I was contacted by a very distressed emergency department nurse from GV Health who raised serious concerns about the medical crisis and the unsafe and overwhelming conditions she and her fellow medical staff and paramedics continue to face,” The Nationals Member for Shepparton District Kim O’Keeffe said.
The nurse described the shift as “one of the most busiest, chaotic shifts” she had experienced in her years as a nurse.
“Severe Staff shortages forced the closure of beds, and some nurses worked an additional 10-hour shift after completing their initial afternoon shift,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“This is what our healthcare workers are experiencing on a day-to-day basis.
“They are overworked and overtired, sometimes not even getting a meal or any form of break.”
The nurse said the conditions are unsustainable and warned of potential burnout, resignations, and further strain on the health system.
“We push ourselves, we struggle, but we do what we can to ensure people are tended to and treated,” the nurse said.
“We try to just keep going for the sake of our patients, but it’s just not sustainable.
“Enough is enough.
“It seems that it’s just a blanket effect right now whilst our staff are absolutely drowning.”
A woman who attended GV Health during the ramping reported “chaos” in the emergency department, where her daughter, suspected of having appendicitis, faced up to a six-hour wait after already waiting three hours. She described the staff as “exhausted” and the sight of ambulances waiting to access the hospital as “overwhelming and confronting”.
Ms O’Keeffe said that the nurse who contacted her said she wanted to share the reality of what medical staff and patients are experiencing and that the situation is only getting worse. She pleaded for someone to listen.
“It is really sad when you have such a dedicated nurse wanting to care for her patients feeling so overwhelmed, exhausted and distressed,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
Shadow Minister for Health and Shadow Minister for Ambulance Services Georgie Crozier said the government are letting down medical staff, patients and hospitals.
“Hospital amalgamations will only add more service pressure. Hospitals are also being asked to reduce their expenses, which we know will directly affect jobs and service delivery,” Ms Crozier said.
“The Allan Labor government is neglecting Hospitals, health workers and the health care of patients. It is very clear that they cannot manage Health.”