Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSW LHD) says it has made ‘improvements’ to the waiting room at Ballina District Hospital.
An exclusive expose in Echonetdaily last week revealed overcrowded conditions on New Year’s Day, including a patient in a hospital gown lying on the footpath outside.
The improvements are, apparently, limited to adding some additional seats in the waiting room.
A statement from acting CEO Lynne Weir, released today, reads, ‘The Northern NSW Local Health District has recently completed improvements to the seating arrangements in the Ballina and District Hospital emergency department waiting room.
‘The recent changes will increase seating capacity and improve overall function of the emergency department waiting room.’
NNSWLHD is maintaining the previous CEO’s policy of being reactive not proactive.Not once is there an apology from the NNSWLHD regarding the effects of their staff shortages.The main cost blowouts at each hospital is the current management numbers – far too many for the respective bed & staff numbers.The peripheral hospitals have the same management numbers they did back in the 70s & 80s when their bed numbers were double to triple AND performing surgery and maternity cases. This is why NSW Health is implementing private hospital takeovers throughout NSW to reign in the operating budgets.
My experience with Ballina Hospital:-
Around 18 months ago, as a patient in Ballina Hospital, I had to have staples removed from my leg and foot after skin graft surgery. When the first one was removed the sudden pain was so excruciating that I was screaming (I am not usually a screamer), trembling and cringing up the end of the bed begging them to give me pain relief or put me under anesthetic, it was that bad and I had 11 more to go. All I could keep saying was NO, NO, No, you can’t do this and they laughed at me.I was racking my brain to see who I could call for help. They brought in 4 more nurses who held me down and forced my legs straight while 2 others pulled the staples out which over a week had obviously gone into the bone. Within half an hour they sent me home.
Also for some reason I was put in the dementia ward (maybe because I was 68 but I certainly don’t have dementia!) where at night I would have people who obviously didn’t know where they were, trying to get into bed with me which was scary in itself.
When I went to my doctor for my post operative visit, I went to complain about my treatment and he said that “he’d heard that I had caused quite a bit of trouble”.
I will NEVER go to Ballina Hospital again nor to that particular Doctor