100 signatures reached
To: Tasmanian Minister for Health
LGH - Bring Your Own Bed!
We need your help to support our members working at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) Emergency Department (ED) by signing our petition calling on immediate action from the Tasmanian Minister for Health.
Nurses have reached breaking point with consistent bed block and ambulance ramping issues. The situation places nurses under considerable strain and workload pressure and is directly related to an inadequate number of acute inpatient beds - with the current bed numbers not meeting the demands of the patients presenting to the ED.
ANMF member and registered nurse Thomas Millen described the situation at the LGH ED as heartbreaking. At times he, along with his colleagues, are not able to provide the quality care that they wish to. Thomas indicated that the ED was operating more like a ward than an emergency department and the patients continued to flow in but there is no flow out to in-patient beds.
Why is this important?
The ANMF have consistently raised these concerns with THS, however with little outcome. As a result, on the 19th March members committed to commencing industrial action.
This action will continue until the ANMF receive a commitment for the following outcomes as identified by members in their resolution to highlight the current bed block crisis:
• Funding, staffing and opening up all beds on ward 4D at the LGH to its full capacity.
• Funding, staffing and opening up all beds on 4K at the LGH to its full capacity.
• Funding, staffing and opening up currently closed beds in the Intensive Critical Care Unit to be used as a High Dependency Unit.
• An action plan for respiratory isolation.
• Funding to staff permanent assistants in nursing (AINs) as sitters on the medical wards, to alleviate nursing staff from undertaking double shifts.
• A long term commitment to fund and open additional medical and geriatric beds at the LGH.
• Permanent funding for the Emergency Medical Unit within the ED.
• Funding to staff after hours allied health positions within the ED.
• More telemetry units purchased as often patients are waiting in the ED for a unit to become available on the wards.
• Implementation of a Psychiatric Emergency Nurses seven days (and evenings) a week, to de-escalate and support all challenging presentations. That this position is funded from additional resources.
ANMF members working at the LGH deserve better and so do the patients, families and wider community affected by the issue.