Firstly, there was a letter from Trevor Allen asking people to “Get behind the right people to fix LGH …. saying … Just imagine the LGH not being able to handle emergencies in the ways it has in the past. Imagine that you are involved in an accident of any kind in Launceston. …and also saying … northern Tasmanians need to get behind Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten, and LGH clinical staff.”
Then Raelene Morey reported on the start of employment for new nurses - Permanent positions for casuals with Stephen Ayre saying … “10 of the hospital's existing casual and temporary nursing staff would be offered permanent positions as part of the State's new three- year Nursing Enterprise Bargaining Agreement… and in the coming weeks the hospital would also offer positions to nurses on its employment list, which includes the names of about 15 nurses not currently working at the hospital".
Only four nurses would be employed in the intensive care unit, despite calls by Australian Nursing Federation branch secretary Neroli Ellis saying that up to 17 nurses were needed.
State Opposition health spokesman Brett Whiteley criticised the Government for overlooking the need for more nursing staff in the ICU but said "nothing surprises us anymore when it comes to the State Government".
And beside the fact that future development was flagged in Danielle Blewett’s story” Hospital senior managers call for five-level tower.” The story flagged the fact” the LGH will have a new $12 million department of emergency medicine by 2010, the hospital's department of surgery is calling for a broader development to cope with projected increased demand over the next 15 years.”
It reported that Professor Berni Einoder, Dr George Merridew and other senior members of the department called for the construction of a five-level tower….. “[that] needs to be functional within five years,"
The story reported that “Department of Health and Human Services deputy secretary Simon Barnsley confirmed that a site master planning exercise was under way for the new department …. and that Building is likely to start in 2009.”with a development application to be lodged with the Launceston City
Despite the flagged developments at LGH, in summary, and reading between the lines, it seems that the LGH is still in financial trouble despite new nursing positions being confirmed albeit if a third were already on staff and Intensive care would remain at a contentious staff level. Debt alleviation seems as far as it was last week.
The cynical could be excused for thinking there is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the bureaucratic decision making at LGH.
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