BY PETER HYSLOP
There have been heavy delays on the Emergency Department at the John Hunter Hospital in what’s being described as a perfect storm by paramedics.
A bad flu season combined with weekend sport injuries and an unusually high number of presentations to the department meant a critical shortage overnight, doctors told the department had -37 beds heading into the evening.
Brendan McIlveen from the paramedic’s union says they’ve been experiencing delays of up to eight hours when ambulances arrive.
“Especially with John Hunter being the major trauma centre for the Hunter, we’ve had [an] increasing flu season, weekend sports as well,” he said.
“Miraculously there’s also been just a very high incidence of people that are generally unwell,” he said.
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| Credit: Wikimedia Commons |
