Byron Central Hospital management has rejected nurses’ claims that a lack of staffing at the new hospital could put patient safety at risk.
The hospital, opened just five weeks ago, could face its first industrial action after the nurses’ union warned they would consider that course if their concerns weren’t addressed.
(See previous Echonetdaily story at https://www.echo.net.au/2016/07/nurses-fear-patient-safety-new-byron-hospital/
But in a bid to allay concerns, chief executive of the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSW LHD), Wayne Jones, told media that staff were continuing to ‘adjust to the new working environment and level of care provided at the new facility’.
Mr Jones said management was ‘very aware of the heightened emotions and transition issues being experienced by our staff as they adjust to the change of two independent hospitals being merged into one state-of-the-art facility that has a higher level of care required, despite a reduction in the actual number of patients’.
‘While year-on-year activity levels between the new Byron Central Hospital (BCH) and the combined activity levels of the old Mullumbimby District Hospital and Byron District Hospital actually shows a reduction in patient activity this year, there have been changes to the models of care and mix of patients,’ he said in a statement.
‘The new BCH has an upgraded Emergency Department from a Level 2 at the Shire’s old hospitals to a Level 3, with the added inclusion of a CT scanner.
‘The inclusion of a CT scanner at BCH has meant that a range of complex presentations that previously would have been transferred to either The Tweed Hospital or Lismore Base Hospital, are now able to remain at BCH.
‘While this is an enormous benefit to the residents of the Byron Shire community, it has resulted in our existing workforce at BCH being asked to care for a different mix of patients that perhaps wasn’t previously required at the former hospitals.
The NNSW LHD will continue to provide support for all our staff at BCH as we bed down the changes and would like to encourage any staff member experiencing problems adjusting to their new workplace to take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
‘The EAP is easily accessible and can provide support on a range of personal and work related issues. Details of the EAP are available on the NNSW LHD intranet site,’ Mr Jones said.
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