By LAURA WAKELY
WESTERN HEALTH is in desperate need of critical care services at Sunshine Hospital.
The hospital is without an intensive care unit (ICU) or coronary care unit, forcing staff to divert patients elsewhere or ambulances to bypass the hospital altogether.
Western Health CEO Kathryn Cook said there had been a 14 per cent increase in the number of patients presenting to the emergency department at Sunshine who needed to be transferred to an ICU or coronary unit. In the 2010-2011 financial year, there were 450 patients transferred, up on the 395 patients transferred the previous year.
Footscray’s Western Hospital has the only intensive care unit in the western suburbs, with the 10 beds already catering for an estimated 777,000 people. Ms Cook said the diversions were causing problems.
“A lack of critical care services at Sunshine Hospital is limiting the spectrum of clinical services that can be delivered to the western metropolitan region,” Ms Cook said.
“A lack of access to critical care services results in inter-hospital transfers of critically ill patients which can increase the health risks to patients from transportation and treatment delay.”
Western Health embarked on a multi-million redevelopment of Sunshine Hospital in recent years, which has included the addition of the Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, Western Centre for Health Research and Education, provided the west with its first public radiation centre and will see 128 extra bed by the end of the year. But Ms Cook said the new additions would not be fully maximised without critical care services, with additional beds likely to be used by lower acuity patients.
Opposition Parliamentary Secretary for Health Wade Noonan said it was clear that funding critical care services at Sunshine was the “number one priority” for this year’s State Budget.
