News
9 August, 2024
Satellite’s staff juggle
A Caboolture local has shared her shocking experience at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital, after she and her daughter had to wait three hours to be seen, due to there only being one doctor on site.
The resident took her daughter to the Satellite Hospital on Wednesday, July 17, around 8:30am, after her daughter couldn’t hold down any food or fluids and had a high temperature for two days.
This happened to also be the day of Bribie Island’s Satellite Hospital grand opening.
The resident said she was “amazed” and “disappointed” when a nurse came out with a security guard at 10am to put up a sign that said patients should expect long delays, as all the doctors, except one, got taken to the new Bribie hospital.
“You could see all the staff there were under a lot of stress and pressure, especially since there were also ambulances showing up, on top of the people in the waiting room,” she said.
“I was very disappointed on behalf of the staff and us patients because they advertise these hospitals so much to help the big hospitals, but then leave one doctor, so me and the staff weren’t very impressed.
“The Caboolture staff were great and doing everything they could to help, including getting patients in the wait room water, tea and coffee, but a lot of people were not happy.”
The resident and her daughter eventually got seen at 11:30am, but she added there were people in the waiting room who were there before her, and were still waiting by the time she left.
While acknowledging most of the staff were handling the pressure very well, the last nurse who saw her and her daughter couldn’t hide her frustration, saying “we’re all tired”.
A Metro North Health spokesperson said it’s “standard practice” for staff to be shared across facilities as required “to meet community need and demand”.
“Staffing for the Caboolture and Bribie Island Satellite Hospitals sits with Metro North’s Caboolture, Kilcoy and Woodford clinical directorate,” they said.
“Metro North Health’s Satellite Hospitals, based at Caboolture, Kallangur and Bribie Island, are proving successful in bringing care closer to home for Moreton Bay residents.
“As Moreton Bay is a growing region with increasing healthcare needs, we continue to invest in healthcare services for the region and as such, continue to recruit accordingly.”
Satellite Hospitals have been built to help relieve pressure of major hospitals, such as Caboolture and Redcliffe, by attending to nonurgent injuries and illnesses, such as simple fractures, infections and allergies, sprains, strains, and minor burns.
“Since opening, the Caboolture, Bribie Island and Kallangur clinics have collectively seen over 39,500 people and have reduced emergency department presentations for less-urgent needs at Caboolture and Redcliff e Hospitals,” the spokesperson said.
According to the State Government, who fund these hospitals, the Kallungur and Caboolture Satellite Hospitals receive the second and third most amount of daily patients out of the existing seven Satellite Hospitals in Queensland, averaging 81 and 69 patients respectively in July.
Queensland Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services, Shannon Fentiman, said data shows Satellite Hospitals have reduced non-urgent presentations in emergency departments by up to 24 per cent.
“I would like to thank the dedicated frontline healthcare staff working in the facilities to ensure patients receive world-class care,” she said.
“Not only do they assist people with minor injuries, but they also provide access to vital services such as dialysis and mental health support closer to home.”
The Caboolture Satellite Hospital is open from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, at 15 Rowe Street, Caboolture.
Appointment-based services include oral health services, mental health specialist services, and sleep services and consultation.
For more info visit https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/satellite-hospitals
