Simon Judkins News Today

The state’s hospital watchdog has serious concerns about a lack of paediatric expertise, warning it had become normal for clinicians to treat children “outside of their comfort zone”.

Bed-block and increased ambulance ramping have been reported in every state and territory in recent months.

Doctors fear that some smaller emergency departments, particularly in regional Victoria, could be forced to close temporarily because they cannot operate safely due to gaps in their rosters.

Doctors fear that some smaller emergency departments, particularly in regional Victoria, could be forced to close temporarily because they cannot operate safely due to gaps in their rosters.

As health workers brace for another COVID-19 surge, hospitals are expanding emergency departments, adding temporary negative airflow rooms and introducing new roles to help paramedics offload patients.

As health workers brace for another COVID-19 surge, hospitals are expanding emergency departments, adding temporary negative airflow rooms and introducing new roles to help paramedics offload patients.

Critically ill Victorians are being resuscitated in corridors, as senior medical staff sound the alarm over further deterioration in the state’s overcrowded hospitals.

Health experts have given Labor’s pledge to trial bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinics ‘a small tick for trying’, warning they won’t empty crowded hospital EDs.

Regional doctors warn they are increasingly having to treat people in corridors and struggling to find intensive care beds for the most critically ill.

Senior doctors and nurses say overcrowding in Victoria’s emergency departments is leading to waits of up to 12 hours just to be seen and reports of increasing instances of abuse and aggression from the public.