The Tasmanian Government notes the Auditor-General’s report into Tasmania’s Emergency Departments.
The recommendations and findings contained within the report outline several opportunities to provide better care for more Tasmanians.
We look forward to examining these closely as part of the upcoming Access Solutions Meeting and will be providing a copy of the report to the attendees to help inform discussions.
The report notes the physical capacity constraints being experienced in our Emergency Departments, and the Government is working hard to address these through the completion of the Redevelopment at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
The Launceston General Hospital is also undergoing major capital works to allow for more beds to be opened. New beds have recently been opened at both the North West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital, as well as capital works to provide more clinical spaces.
The reality is that, despite hiring more than 1000 extra staff in our hospital system over the past five years, opening new beds across the state and increasing services, there is still growing demand, with an increase in complexity of patients presenting to hospitals.
The Government has brought in reforms to clarify and strengthen accountability in Tasmania’s health system, with the Secretary of the Department of Health now the single point of accountability for the management and delivery of healthcare, and stronger local leadership for our hospitals.
There are no silver bullets to the issues raised in the report, but the Government remains committed to further improving the longstanding cultural and process challenges in our hospitals to improve patient flow and provide the best possible healthcare to all Tasmanians.