COUNTRY Health SA regional director Jayne Downs said the Mount Gambier Hospital has made “significant” progress in building the confidence and skills of junior staff as well the recruitment of doctors.
The regional health chief was this week responding to a list of questions posed by The Border Watch.
The questions included how many of the 22 recommendations from the independent review had been implemented at the hospital.
Other question related to claims that nurses were regularly performing double shifts and that there was a shortfall in senior doctors.
In a statement, Ms Downs described the hospital as supportive of its hard working staff and said it was a “safe and welcoming place” for patients.
“We are continuing to make improvements in our services and since the review we have recruited four resident medical officers in the emergency department (ED) team, additional registered nurses to provide the appropriate ED coverage and a full-time ED nurse educator,” Ms Downs said.
“We are also in the final stages of recruiting more ED consultants and have successfully recruited a full-time obstetrician gynaecologist, who starts in December, and a full-time paediatrician, who started last week.”
Ms Downs said the hospital was also “continuing” to recruit more medical officers with the right mix of seniority to fill all vacant posts including the additional ward and ED shifts funded in the review, and two full time physicians.
“We are continuing discussions with managers, staff and the Health Advisory Council about how we can improve our hospital and the care we provide for the people of Mount Gambier,” she said.
Any vacant medical posts, including senior medical posts in the emergency department, are covered by temporary doctors who work as part of the team.
Ms Downs’ statement did not respond to claims nurses were being pressured to perform double shifts and the low morale among the workforce.
Mount Gambier Hospital announced sweeping changes and a nearly $540,000 boost to its doctor workforce early this year following the independent review into the health facility.
Country Health SA accepted a staggering 22 recommendations that focuses on increasing staff, improving recruitment practices and boosting patient safety.
The probe – undertaken by two senior SA Health staff – centred on patient care and flow at the hospital’s emergency department, which was embroiled in a workforce crisis.
The key recommendations handed down included the need for an electronic patient tracking system and implementation of a staffing escalation process during increased activity.
Other key changes included the recruitment of “at least” two medical registrars and another a full-time physician “as soon as possible”.
The probe revealed the ED was not meeting the National Emergency Access Target, with the facility only averaging 74pc last year.
In fact, the report questioned whether the targets were being “artificially improved” due to patient categorisation.
