By XAVIER SMERDON
THE State Government has been urged to think of the safety of Wyndham resident and ensure short term stay beds at the Werribee Mercy Hospital are available for immediate use.
In Parliament last month, the Member for Altona, Jill Hennessy, said residents had complained to her and her office staff that not all 10 short stay beds were open to the public.
“It has been over a year since the Minister (for Health David Davis) officially opened the new Short Stay Unit in the Werribee Mercy Hospital emergency department. I understand the aim of this facility was to improve capacity and patient flow and reduce emergency department waiting times for patients,” Ms Hennessy said.
“My office has received a number of complaints and feedback that those 10 short stay beds are not yet all operational – and that only four or five have been utilised.”
Ms Hennessy said the Minister for Health needed to increase funding to the hospital to ensure it could service the community properly.
“If this feedback is in fact the case, there is clearly an urgent need to increase the health funding, so all of these greatly needed short stay beds can be made fully operational,” she said.
“I call on the Minister to take steps to assure our community that the 10 short stay beds, announced as part of this short stay facility, are properly funded and are actually being made available for use by our local community members.”
The State Government did not reply to requests for comment.
