Some Australian hospitals refuses new patients

[kiwibird]

Swine flu shuts hospital as pigs get virus
Mark O'Brien
August 2, 2009

SWINE flu forced a NSW hospital to close its doors to new patients yesterday as Premier Nathan Rees moved to reassure the public after an outbreak of the flu at a piggery.

An outbreak of H1N1 at Bellingen Hospital on the mid-north coast forced it to refuse new patients this weekend. Margaret Bennett, from the Health Department?s Coffs-Clarence Network, said seven staff had fallen ill with flu symptoms since a patient tested positive on July 24.

??The hospital is operating normally in terms of people reporting to the emergency department and our care for current in-patients,?? she said.

??This weekend we?re diverting new patients to either Coffs Harbour or Macksville.??

Mr Rees said there was no danger of catching swine flu from eating pork products despite a Dunedoo piggery being quarantined. The outbreak is the first human-to-pig transmission of flu in Australia.

Tests confirmed the pigs had influenza A H1, which is different to the human swine flu virus.

By Friday 21,668 people were known to have contracted swine flu, of whom 61 had died. On Friday, a 70-year-old woman, who had other health problems, became the 22nd person in NSW to die from it.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/swine-flu-shuts-hospital-as-pigs-get-virus-20090801-e53z.html

 

[SonicHappyHourAddict]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Tests confirmed the pigs had influenza A H1, which is different to the human swine flu virus.

Is this true? How can they have a 'different' virus? :magnify:

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Very observant Sonic. It doesn't make sense does it!

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

From Treyfishs' post:

A second round of testing has tonight confirmed the pigs are suffering a virus almost identical to swine flu

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118587
...

"It's influenza A, not the human swine flu virus 2009, but further testing is being conducted with the results expected next week,'' he said.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

I believe there is a "classic" H1N1 swine flu (in swine) and novel H1N1 swine (in humans and swine). They are different.

.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

So do you think it is the normal seasonal h1n1? It doesn't read clearly - even in Treyfishes posts.

Swine flu, or the influenza A/H1N1 (2009) virus, has been detected in a NSW piggery as a result of human-to-pig transmission.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Given that reporters easily mis-interpret facts, I say we don't know.

.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Bellingen still having problems..

Beds close as swine flu hits hospital

Posted Mon Aug 3, 2009 1:01pm AEST

* Map: Bellingen 2454

The swine flu crisis at the Bellingen Hospital in northern New South Wales remains serious, with some of the nurses who are being tested for the virus unwell.

Seven nurses who came into contact with a woman who was admitted on July 24 and later diagnosed with swine flu are now in isolation at home and have been treated with the anti-viral Tamiflu.

The head of the North Coast Area Health Service, Chris Crawford, says there are now staffing shortages at the hospital and as a result 10 beds have been closed.

He says no new admissions are being accepted but the emergency department is still open.

Mr Crawford says the health of patients and nurses are his priority and he is concerned about the situation.

"There's no excuse for us not being prepared because we've put a lot of effort in through our various committees to alert staff, community, patients, GPs on what needs to be done," he said.

"But I don't want to jump to any conclusions and suggest that staff have done the wrong thing without getting feedback from the managements and finding out out exactly what happened.

"We'll make any further announcements to the community and make any further adjustments at the hospital as required."

Mr Crawford says the virus has significantly affected medical staffing at the hospital.

"This is the biggest effect in the North Coast Area Health Service of the swine flu," he said.

"It means that our hospital is significantly affected by having 10 beds not able to be used at present.

"Therefore it is our most serious situation as far as swine flu is concerned and the area health service is monitoring it closely."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/03/2644301.htm

 

[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=160036
Hospitals battle with flu patient flood

Perth?s hospitals are struggling to find beds as they are flooded with flu patients, with ambulances queuing up overnight to admit people.

The Australian Medical Association of WA said scores of patients admitted to Perth?s public hospitals yesterday waited for more than 12 hours for beds.

More than 40 patients were waiting for beds at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and another 50 at Royal Perth, the association said.

Sir Charles Gairdner has also been forced to cancel 13 elective surgery procedures because of the rise in the number people arriving with flu-like symptoms.

?This goes on winter after winter,? AMA WA president Professor Gary Geelhoed told thewest.com.au today.

?We have a system that is completely under-resourced. Hospitals should operate at 85% capacity so that when there is a jump in patients, you can deal with it.

We operate at 100% and as soon as there is pressure on the system we experience a meltdown,? Professor Geelhoed said.

Professor Geelhoed said doctors and nurses were treating more than 200 patients a day at Princess Margaret Hospital and last week had seen as many as 1600 patients.

The AMA is calling on the State Government to deliver on their promise to increase bed capacity at public hospitals.

?The Commonwealth Government acknowledged that WA was short of 400 beds and at the last election, the Government promised 800 nurses to staff these beds.

?Everybody acknowledges there is a problem and we need to sort it out,? he said.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

It sounds like a good time to implement military field hospitals.

.

 

[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

It sounds like a good time to implement military field hospitals.

.

Remember, we aren't supposed to peak in Australia for 3 more weeks.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

I don't see this news of NZ and Australia on US MSM.

I tell friends to watch them both to know what's ahead for the US.

.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Some Sky news reports are not being posted online. The Royal Brisbane Hospital is conducting assessments in the ambulance bay. Cold - but I guess you are less likely to have transmission in the open air!

Seven nurses who came into contact with a woman who was admitted on July 24 and later diagnosed with swine flu are now in isolation at home and have been treated with the anti-viral Tamiflu.

I keep seeing these sorts of ratios - makes a mockery of the 1.6 infection rate!

 

[Commonground]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Jeremy posted:

Perth?s hospitals are struggling to find beds as they are flooded with flu patients, with ambulances queuing up overnight to admit people.

The Australian Medical Association of WA said scores of patients admitted to Perth?s public hospitals yesterday waited for more than 12 hours for beds.

I wonder if there was a problem with availability.

Western Australia: Perth boy, 12, dies after swine flu diagnosis

Excerpt:


Health Minister Kim Hames said he believed the 12-year-old boy who died with swine flu did not attend hospital. The boy was the first WA child with swine flu to die.

?There will be a post mortem on that child so I can?t make any further comment other than to offer our sadness and sympathy to the parents,? Dr Hames said.

?He had an underlying medical condition but not one that would relate in any way to an early death, so it would seem that swine flu has been responsible for his death unless he had some pre-existing condition that was undiagnosed.?

 

[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Jeremy posted:


I wonder if there was a problem with availability.

Western Australia: Perth boy, 12, dies after swine flu diagnosis

Excerpt:


Health Minister Kim Hames said he believed the 12-year-old boy who died with swine flu did not attend hospital. The boy was the first WA child with swine flu to die.

?There will be a post mortem on that child so I can?t make any further comment other than to offer our sadness and sympathy to the parents,? Dr Hames said.

?He had an underlying medical condition but not one that would relate in any way to an early death, so it would seem that swine flu has been responsible for his death unless he had some pre-existing condition that was undiagnosed.?

While I cannot say for sure that this boy died because the hospital was full, I can state with a high degree of confidence that this trend continues as we start apporaching the peak weeks, then you will see such cases. Remember, Australia isn't supposed to peak for 3 weeks.

 

[kezza01]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

from what i can find out, all states in australia are experiencing similar issues with access to beds this season.

this is something that happens every season but, again from what i can gather, this year it is earlier than expected and the overcrowding rates more severe than previously.

and with our peak to come.......

 

[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

from what i can find out, all states in australia are experiencing similar issues with access to beds this season.

this is something that happens every season but, again from what i can gather, this year it is earlier than expected and the overcrowding rates more severe than previously.

and with our peak to come.......

You are correct. Most hospitals operate at close to 90% capacity, which means that they really have very little surge capability.

Traditionally, however, they don't run into the issue of running out of ICU beds and vents (which is occuring right now).

Here is the chart from 2008 for Australia that shows when influenza peaked. If you notice, compared to last year, we are currently at the very beginning of the acceleration phase.


All in all, not a very good situation. Considering things could get 5 times as bad. At least that is what you get by looking at the numbers.

 

[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=160117

Hospitals struggle under flu pressure



<!-- <div id="article">--><!---->5th August 2009, 6:00 WST <!----><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=310 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>More elective surgery is being cancelled in Perth’s public hospitals this week as they struggle to find enough intensive care beds, doctors say.

An influx of swine flu cases is blamed for overcrowded emergency departments, particularly at Princess Margaret
Hospital, which saw 250 children last Wednesday. Some waited 90 minutes to see a doctor.

The same day, Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner hospitals had more than 70 patients at a time in their emergency departments.

The Australian Medical Association said big public hospitals were close to meltdown as hundreds of people flooded emergency departments, many because of WA’s worsening flu season. It called for more beds and nurses.

WA president Gary Geelhoed said hospitals were “under siege” and it was getting worse every day.

Hospitals were trying to operate over capacity, which meant patients faced dangerously long waits.

“We have seen serious levels of ramping with more than half the ambulance fleet tied up outside emergency departments,” Dr Geelhoed said.

“Most elective surgery has been cancelled with the bed shortage.”

But Australian Nursing Federation WA secretary Mark Olson questioned the timing of the AMA’s claim of a meltdown, saying it was interesting it coincided with the salary packaging scandal affecting its members.

He did not agree that emergency departments were in meltdown, saying hospitals were busy but no more so than in recent weeks.

Opposition Leader Eric Ripper said reports that hospitals were struggling were disturbing.

The Government needed a winter strategy to deal with flu and if it had one it clearly was not working.

Health Minister Kim Hames conceded hospitals were under enormous pressure but the advice he had was that they were coping well.

CATHY O’LEARY and JESSICA STRUTT<!--Vendor: Right Media, Format: IFrame --><!--thewest_newspace%-->
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[Jeremy]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

The Australian Medical Association said big public hospitals were close to meltdown as hundreds of people flooded emergency departments, many because of WA?s worsening flu season. It called for more beds and nurses.

WA president Gary Geelhoed said hospitals were ?under siege? and it was getting worse every day.

Hospitals were trying to operate over capacity, which meant patients faced dangerously long waits.

?We have seen serious levels of ramping with more than half the ambulance fleet tied up outside emergency departments,? Dr Geelhoed said.

?Most elective surgery has been cancelled with the bed shortage.?

But Australian Nursing Federation WA secretary Mark Olson questioned the timing of the AMA?s claim of a meltdown, saying it was interesting it coincided with the salary packaging scandal affecting its members.

He did not agree that emergency departments were in meltdown, saying hospitals were busy but no more so than in recent weeks.

Opposition Leader Eric Ripper said reports that hospitals were struggling were disturbing.

The Government needed a winter strategy to deal with flu and if it had one it clearly was not working.

Health Minister Kim Hames conceded hospitals were under enormous pressure but the advice he had was that they were coping well.

CATHY O?LEARY and JESSICA STRUTT
<!--Vendor: Right Media, Format: IFrame --><!--thewest_newspace%-->

You have flu and you have politics all in one piece.

So the boots on the ground are saying they are getting hammered. That there are no more beds, they need more nurses, cases are rolling in...

Some guy in an office says "No, this is all a diversion from some salary packaging scandal"

Then the Health Minister says, well the hospitals are getting slammed but don't worry you are doing great...



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[kezza01]

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

Re: NSW Hospital refuses new patients

interestingly too of course, we have the whole debate going on about whether the federal government should take over the health system from the states......more politiking to come i suspect....