Healthy, happy fifth

By Kelly Yates
CASEY Hospital’s emergency department celebrated its fifth birthday this week.
The Berwick emergency department, which saw just 24 patients on day one back in March 2005, is now averaging 120 patients a day.
The emergency department team gathered on Monday to mark the birthday with a cake.
Southern Health’s director of emergency medicine, Professor George Braitberg, said the milestone was special for Southern Health.
“Casey Hospital’s Emergency Department provides critical-care response and support to the hospital and the local community through a dedicated group of professional committed to achieving the best patient outcomes possible,” Professor Braitberg said.
“The Emergency Department was opened in 2005 to meet the care needs of the growing population in Melbourne’s south-east corridor. It was a very welcome investment in public health care for this region that continues to serve the community to the highest standards possible.”
In its first year, the emergency department at Casey Hospital treated 30,000 patients; last financial year it treated more than 43,000 patients.
A Southern Health spokeswoman said there were 40 nursing staff and 15 medical staff in the emergency department on the first day.
“We now have more than 50 medical staff, 80 nursing staff and 12 clerical staff,” she said.
Casey’s emergency department gained college accreditation to train emergency specialists in 2006, and has been training medical students since 2008 and nursing students and postgraduates from 2006.