Hodgman and Courtney failing staff and patients at LGH

Will Hodgman and Sarah Courtney are failing staff and patients at the Launceston General Hospital by allowing conditions there to deteriorate further.

Shadow
Health Minister, Sarah Lovell, said the Government could no longer ignore pleas
for help by staff and patients.

“The
situation at the LGH is rapidly deteriorating while Will Hodgman and Sarah
Courtney stand by and do nothing,” Ms Lovell said.

“We have a
situation where requests by LGH staff to implement a code yellow – an internal
emergency – have been ignored by senior management in a desperate attempt to
hide the extent of the crisis at the hospital.

“The
reality is that the LGH spent 70 per cent of time between June 2018 and January
2019 at the highest level of its escalation protocol.

“The new
Minister Sarah Courtney has failed to make significant positive changes since
taking over from the failed former Health Minister Michael Ferguson.

“It seems
the situation will only get worse with news of alarming delays in the
redevelopment of ward 4K.

“The work
was to be completed this month but now has been pushed back to the first
quarter of 2020.

“The
Minister must come clean on exactly when the new ward will be open to
patients.

“Meanwhile
we have a critical shortage of beds and staff under extreme pressure and
working long hours just to keep patients safe.

“The
Government has also failed to address concerns that ward 4K will do little to
address growing demand for adolescent mental health as more young people
continue to be admitted to adult psychiatric wards.

“Minister
Courtney must explain how these issues will be addressed in the face of the
Government’s cruel $450 million budget cuts.”