Bathurst Base Hospital's crisis is 'indicative of strain on health system' says AMA NSW president

On January 31, AMA released its 'Clear the Logjam' report, in which the Bathurst hospital rated poorly.

The situation grew dire for the hospital on Friday, when the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) stated that the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) would be withdrawing accreditation for medical registrar training at Bathurst Base Hospital, citing concerns about supervision and workloads.

On Monday evening, WNSWLHD had managed a temporary solution to its on going crisis, saying the hospital had secured sufficient staff to ensure the ongoing operation of inpatient medical services.

There's been no indication of how long the interim staff would remain.

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AMA NSW President Dr Michael Bonning said the state is facing a "regional specialist crisis" and called on the NSW Government to put more money towards attracting staff.

"We have doctor workforce shortage that is being exacerbated by the ever increasing health needs of a growing and ageing population," he said.

"Ahead of the next election, AMA (NSW) is calling on parties to present health platforms that address this need.

"Simply put, we need more doctors to staff facilities. Building new hospitals without putting in place the people to staff them is pointless.

"NSW needs funding to attract the best and brightest doctors to train and build the medical workforce."

Dr Bonning said training is "really important" when it comes to attracting and retaining future employees.

"Training is really important in the provision of healthcare, as well as attracting and retaining a future workforce to regional NSW," he said.

"But these priorities must be balanced with patient safety and adequate supervision."

A recent recently Medical Training Survey discovered half of trainees rated their workload as heavy/very heavy, with a NSW Hospital Health Check survey finding that 56 per cent of all respondents had felt concern for their personal safety due to fatigue associated with long hours.

"The AMA Logjam Finder reveals Bathurst's ED is not delivering care within the recommended timeframes in three categories: emergency, urgent and semi-urgent categories," Dr Bonning said.

"These delays in access to care relate to a lack of staff and resources or our health system. What is happening in Bathurst is indicative of the strain on our health system and the NSW government has a responsibility to invest in regional NSW."

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