Plans for the Redland Hospital expansion, including a 32-bed unit are in early design stages as Queensland hospitals and emergency departments are more crowded than ever.
Speaking in Parliament this week, Bowman MP Andrew Laming said the country needed the infrastructure and people to make hospitals work.
"No one in their darkest hour, in a hospital should be lying on a stretcher for eight hours."
"Since 2018 I have fought for money for Redland Hospital, I fought for car parking investment and at the moment, all we have is the turning of a sod in 2021," he told Parliament.
In a pre-election promise, Labor announced a $62 million expansion, including an intensive care unit at Redland Hospital in the next two years.
The works - including a $32 million contribution from the state government and $30 million from the federal government - will also include a new 32-bed ward with stage one expected to be completed in late next year.
"We've got 20 per cent of people sitting on stretchers in the ED while they're waiting for care and ridiculously in my hospital (Redland Hospital), 51 per cent of all arrivals to emergency are officially ramped."
Mr Laming called for a five-year action plan for hospital infrastructure.
"We need hospitals who can look after patients. If you're not going to fund the beds in the ICU of course the EA will be paralyzed, it's as simple as that," he said.
"Our medics are worn out, our doctors are worn out."
Emergency specialists, surgeons and doctors from across the state have met to develop a roadmap out of the emergency department ramping crisis.
The Australian Medical Association Queensland roundtable group chair and emergency physician Dr Kim Hansen said emergency departments were more crowded than ever.
"Sick and injured Queenslanders are waiting hours to get into an ED and may then have to wait days to move from the ED into a hospital ward.
"There is enormous pressure on overworked staff and we are deeply worried about their wellbeing," she said.
Dr Hansen said hospitals needed to adopt new models of care to unblock the bottle necks.
"Examples include introducing KPIs across hospitals, not just in EDs, to ensure patients are seen within certain timeframes, so those who can leave aren't stuck in a bed waiting for paperwork," she said.
According to a Queensland Health spokesperson hospitals and emergency departments were busier than ever.
"Redland Hospital works with the Queensland Ambulance Service through the patient access coordination hub to enable improved coordination between the services and to help accommodate the increase in presentations in our emergency departments," he said.
Redland Hospital quarterly emergency department information for January, February, March 2021 shows 53 per cent of patients were transferred off-stretcher within 30 minutes.
"The schematic design is well underway for stage 1 of the Redland Hospital expansion which involves engagement with clinicians and stakeholders to design the new facilities ahead of construction.
"The program schedule is currently being finalised," the spokesperson said.
Queensland Health will meet with AMA in July to discuss emergency flow improvement at hospitals.
Angela Kelly
Redland City Bulletin senior journalist covering politics, community issues and human interest stories. South African living the dream in Australia.
Redland City Bulletin senior journalist covering politics, community issues and human interest stories. South African living the dream in Australia.
