MOUNT Gambier Hospital will ungerdo major changes in the coming months to ensure adequate services are on offer to the community.
Working towards a “patient centred” approach, Country Health SA South East regional director Ngaire Buchanan said they were doing their best to meet the recommendations given a year ago.
The state’s influential medical doctors union has welcomed the renewed recruitment efforts by the hospital, which it says is easing instability and “frustrations” among the workforce.
A new emergency department consultant, a general physician, an anaesthetic consultant and four resident medical officers are expected to start next month.
South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association industrial officer Michele Evans said the hospital had made some senior medical appointments, which had “eased pressure”.
“There appears to be a concerted effort in recruitment and their efforts have paid off,” Ms Evans said yesterday.
But she warned the hospital could not take its “foot off the pedal” in terms of the need to recruit senior long-term doctors and not just rely on fly-in and out medical staff.
“Relying too much on locums causes friction and instability,” Ms Evans said.
Country Health SA South East Regional Director Ngaire Buchanan said the hospital was continuing to roll-out the independent inquiry recommendations handed down more than 12 months ago.
“Mount Gambier Hospital continues to work towards completing all of the recommendations following the review,” said Ms Buchanan, who stepped into the temporary role just three months ago.
“By early next month, we expect 15 of the 22 recommendations to be fully completed with the remaining recommendations in progress.”
The regional health chief said a number of new health professionals had already begun at the facility.
“A full-time consultant in the medical department and a full-time obstetrician gynaecologist and an anaesthetist have also started working at the facility,” Ms Buchanan said.
“Another full-time obstetrician gynaecologist will join us later this year.”
Three new graduate nurses have also started in the consolidated Transition to Practice Program.
“We are expecting further appointments in the middle of the year as the nursing recruitment processes continue,” Ms Buchanan said.
Speaking at a major community forum hosted by Mount Gambier Hospital’s Health Advisory Council (HAC) late last week, Ms Buchanan said the hospital was working hard to achieve the recommendations and recruit medical staff.
“It has been a whirlwind tour for me and a lot has been happening over the past three months,” the locum executive told the meeting.
Ms Buchanan said it was important the hospital “worked towards” providing as many services as possible for patients close to home.
“If they are able to have their families around them, then their outcomes are going to be a lot better,” she said.
Ms Buchanan said she also wanted to see the hospital build innovative health service models and to be “patient centred”.
The interim regional health bureaucrat said it was also important to evaluate how to best use the health dollars
