Manning Hospital needs “more resources to be able to function as an acute care hospital and/or trauma hospital.”
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That is the opinion of Professor Zsolt Balogh, the head of emergency and trauma for Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) and author of the Manning Hospital Acute Trauma Report.
The report is the outcome of a site visit to Manning Hospital on November 10, 2016 by Professor Balogh, Kate King and Debra McDougall.
It came after many months of lobbying to HNELHD for a critical review of the hospital’s trauma capacity by members of Manning Hospital Medical Staff Council, Manning Health Committee and more recently, the newly formed Manning Great Lakes Community Health Action Group.
The report critically evaluates the structure, staffing, resources and capacity of staff to deliver trauma services required of a regional trauma centre and exposes capacity deficiencies in a number of areas and concerns of departmental staff.
A brief summary of the main issues at identified at Manning Hospital include:
- Emergency Department: The medical staffing of the emergency department has been problematic. The standard of experience and performance is somewhat variable on any given day.
- Intensive Care: Staff raised the issue that they do not have sufficient funding to support patients.
- Operating Theatres: Waiting times for trauma patients are long and the only way surgeons can accommodate is to cancel elective cases.
- Orthopaedic Service: Described as a “weak point in the system” by staff and “not up to standard” and “not as functional as general surgical, intensive care or operating theatre services.” The department had “only one accredited registrar and staff felt this did not compare favourably to Port Macquarie Base Hospital.”