Holidays hit hospital

By Callan Date
CASEY Hospital will shut all but one of its operating theatres for three weeks.
The decision from Southern Health, which operates Casey Hospital, will result in three of the four theatres being shut for the next two weeks along with an extra week in May.
The slashing of available facilities for non-emergency treatments has been attributed to the number of staff wanting to take holidays and a lack of demand on the services, a Southern Health spokesman said.
However, Australian Nursing Federation Victorian secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the move may be a way for the hospital to avoid having to pay public holiday rates. “It is a way to save money. Hospitals don’t have to pay staff penalty rates for the public holidays if the facilities aren’t open,” she said.
She also said there was a constant demand on health services with a massive waiting list of patients requiring non-emergency surgery.
“You’re absolutely not going to get operated on unless it is an emergency,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
She said her organisation was still investigating claims that some staff had been ordered to take annual leave during this period.
“We wouldn’t be supportive of nurses having to take annual leave against their will.”
Casey Hospital general manager Greg Young said the reduction in available theatres still allowed emergency and other essential patient services to be maintained.
“Each year we plan for a slow down in activity over the Easter Holiday period to match the reduction in demand for services and staff availability,” Mr Young said.
“We also have the ability to flexibly open facilities should there be unexpected emergency demand.
“ It has no impact on our readiness to deal with emergency cases,” he said.
Ms Fitzpatrick said Casey Hospital was not alone in closing down services over the holiday period and it was not an uncommon occurrence in the health sector.