$98 million new hospital deemed dysfunctional

Feb 17 2008

A brand new $98 million hospital in Bathurst in NSW's central west has been deemed so unsafe that routine elective surgery has been suspended; doctors at the hospital say there are serious flaws in the design and construction of the facilities.

The medical staff say the hospital is dysfunctional and they are concerned that faults such as raw sewage leaking from a pipe into the maternity ward, inadequate alarm systems and major pager and mobile phone failures could be putting patients' lives are at risk.

Other worries include hanging points and access to sheer drops outside the mental health unit which remains empty along with inadequate theatres.

The level of concern is such that the demolition of the old hospital has been suspended for the time being by the Health Department in case it may be needed.

Chris Halloway the chairman of the Medical Staff Council says the hospital which opened three weeks ago is unsafe.

Critics have condemned both the Premier and Health Minister for allowing the construction to be carried out without knowing whether frontline clinicians had been consulted on the rebuild.

Halloway says areas in intensive care, operating theatres and accident and emergency were too small and the inadequate alarm system was "a pivotal safety issue".

Another concern is that only half of the intensive care beds could be seen from the nurses station due to poor design.

Halloway says the community in Bathurst do not have the health care facility that they had a couple of months ago; dozens of patients have had their surgery postponed.

It seems there was little consultation with clinical staff regarding the design and now a team of technical experts is working at the hospital in attempts to rectify the problems along with a fire and safety audit.

The Greater Western Area Health Service has not disputed the safety concerns and says they are working to resolve the serious issue and agreed to doctors' demands not to demolish the old hospital just yet and say clinicians were engaged in "extensive consultation".

Opposition Leader, Barry O'Farrell, says the case is yet another example of the Government and the Health minister Reba Meagher failing to listen to frontline health workers.

The opposition and doctors say the debacle raises serious concerns about the future of all hospital redevelopments and particular concern about the consultation process, including the $702 million Royal North Shore facility.

This latest in a plethora of hospital fiascos has however prompted Ms Meagher to call a Special Commission of Inquiry into acute care services in NSW which began last week.