The head of Canberra Hospital’s emergency department has said the ACT Government should be building a new emergency department, rather than expanding the existing department.
The department has been struggling to cope with an increase in patient numbers and has been averaging more than 90 per cent occupancy.
Recent bed shortages at the hospital meant some patients had to be treated in hallways.
A $23 million expansion of the emergency department is set to begin in the next few weeks, with another 21 beds coming on line by late 2016.
But clinical director Dr Michael Hall warned that if current growth rates continue, there will still be size and capacity issues at the emergency department in five to seven years time.
“My job as a clinician is to advocate for what I think we need,” he said.
“I still believe that we need to start from scratch to build an emergency department from the ground up and that there are still compromises being made by the fact that this is a series of extensions on the outside of an existing facility.
“We would love to continue to work with the Government to design a department from the ground up.”
ACT Health Minister Simon Corbell said the extension of the department was only an interim measure.
“It is a short to medium-term response while the Government gives consideration to the next stage of redevelopment of the hospital,” he said.
“[That] involves buildings two and three, and there will be more said about that as we head into the budget process.”
Mr Corbell said the extension was an important boost for the busiest emergency department in Canberra.
“First and foremost, the more people we can have receiving care when they need it in the emergency department helps improve timeliness in the emergency department,” he said.
The extension will take the total number of beds in the department from 54 to 75.
Mr Corbell said construction work would be staged and would not disrupt the way the emergency department operated.