Sixteen full-time equivalent staff have been recruited to Maitland Hospital emergency department's "short stay unit", enabling it to operate seven days a week. Login or signup to continue reading The short stay unit, which opened in June, has been operating for four days a week. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the unit "plays a critical role in easing patient flow throughout the hospital ".
Mr Park said the staff boost showed the government's commitment to ensuring "access to timely and high-quality healthcare". Maitland Hospital has faced criticism from the public and nurses for some time over staff shortages , waiting times and quality of care. However, Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the hospital "continues to make great strides in providing high-quality care".
"The additional staffing and extended days of operation are making a real difference," she said. She said this was "reducing the time patients spend waiting for treatment and easing pressure on our ED [emergency department]". "This progress is a direct reflection of our dedication to improving healthcare for Maitland residents.
" The government said the short stay unit had treated 438 patients in September, compared to 278 in June. It added that the hospital had improved the time to start treatment across all triage categories by "up to six per cent" since the June opening. Additionally, there was a 19 per cent improvement in patients being transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes.
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