Hospital CEO labels facilities at Hamilton not fit for purpose

Western District Health Service (WDHS) chief executive Rohan Fitzgerald said the Hamilton Base Hospital urgently needed funds.

The service has been lobbying for a $32 million upgrade for years.

"The current suboptimal ED and ICU environment presents a high risk to both patients and staff," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"The plans are complete, consultation with the department and government has taken place and there is no doubt the need exists. Now we need the final piece of the puzzle - the funding."

Mr Fitzgerald said the WDHS board had committed $15 million to the desperately needed redevelopment and was asking for a state government contribution of $17 million.

He said the number of people presenting to the hospital's emergency department had increased by 22 per cent since 2015 and staff and community members were becoming increasingly disillusioned by the perceived lack of progress and interest for the redevelopment to be funded.

"As chief executive, I must advocate on the behalf of my staff who are passionate about the care we provide to our patients and community," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"In the context of the recent announcement of a $5 to $6 billion expansion of city hospitals the $17 million for WDHS is a very modest amount, for a long overdue project."

Mr Fitzgerald said the hospital's emergency department and intensive care units offered little privacy.

He said patients could be heard discussing private medical issues as triage is conducted in the waiting area and hallway, there was no private area for people to grieve if they lost a loved one and there was no direct line of sight from the nurses' station into treatment areas.

Mr Fitzgerald said discussions with the state government about the need for a redevelopment began in 2014.

"Throughout that long period without a definitive answer our staff, patients and the community are anxious about the standard and level of care we can continue to deliver," he said.

Emergency department nurse Naomi McKay said the facility was not fit-for-purpose.

"It's unsafe and there's no privacy - it's horrendous."

Vipin Joseph, who is also a nurse in the emergency department, said the facilities were well below par.

"Anyone walking through the emergency department, which sees nearly 10,000 patients a year, would agree that it is not even fit for an office space, let alone being an emergency department."

Southern Grampians Shire councillor Helen Henry said the redevelopment was long overdue.

"The people in this town deserve better."

A state government spokesman said it would work with the health service to ensure the needs of the community were met.

"Our comprehensive workforce plan includes training and hiring thousands of nurses and paramedics, making it free to study nursing and building hospitals to provide the care Victorians need," he said.

"We'll always work with health services to upgrade facilities, recruit more staff and improve services and we'll continue to work with Western District Health Service on the best solutions for the local community."

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