ELECTIVE surgeries requiring an overnight stay were cancelled in favour of providing medical patients with a bed at the Launceston General Hospital on Tuesday, according to the nursing union.
Nursing and Midwifery Federation branch secretary Neroli Ellis said the LGH faced critical demands again this week with more than 50 patients in the emergency department on Monday, 28 of whom were waiting for admission to wards.
She said some patients were stuck in the back of ambulances for up to two hours on the same day due to a lack of beds.
Mrs Ellis said she met Tasmanian Health Service acting chief executive Anne Brand and had been assured a review of bed capacity would be undertaken before the Mersey became a dedicated elective surgery centre.
Mrs Ellis has previously pointed out that the LGH and the North-West Regional Hospital will have to divide up care for up to 4000 extra patients when the Mersey transitions to its new role.
‘‘It is clear additional resources will be required to deal with a changed position,’’ she said.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson said on Tuesday that clinical advisory groups were hard at work assessing how best to deliver reforms.
‘‘One of the fundamental drivers of the One Health System reforms is that any Tasmanian, regardless of where they live, gets the care they need in the hospital that is best able to provide it,’’ he said.
‘‘While there will be some changes as part of a truly statewide health service, the fact is that demand will need to be met by the system as a whole, and it would not make sense to make those changes until the capacity is there to provide those services.