Bathurst health crisis: Elective surgery halted due to lack of free beds

The situation became so bad on Monday that Western NSW Local Health District was forced to postpone some elective surgeries at the hospital to ease the pressure on beds and staff.

The Western Advocate has been told up to 40 people were left waiting in the ED over the weekend and, with no beds available to admit them, some had to have their treatment started in the waiting room.

Councillor Warren Aubin, who is heading up a local lobby group to campaign for improved services at the hospital, said he had been told of patients having drips inserted while still in the waiting room.

A Western NSW Local Health District spokesperson confirmed that the hospital had been "at capacity" over the weekend but said the demand on services had eased by Monday afternoon.

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The spokesperson said three elective surgeries had been postponed but stressed there had been no impact on emergency surgery at the hospital.

They also said the hospital was already starting to see a spike in winter illnesses that traditionally stretch the emergency department during the cooler months.

"Bathurst Hospital has escalation plans in place help manage periods of increased activity," the spokesperson said.

"During the busy period over the weekend and Monday, Bathurst Hospital activated an escalation plan, which included opening up additional beds and providing the appropriate staffing.

"There are currently minimal staffing vacancies at the Bathurst Health Service however, we continue to recruit to all positions including those that are casual, full-time and part-time."

The spokesperson said it was not unusual for patients to be treated in the ED prior to being admitted and "this includes the use of an intravenous drip".

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But Cr Aubin said the situation over the weekend highlighted the health lobby group's complaints and wanted health officials to explain how the bed shortage could have been allowed to reach such a dire level.

"We are talking about a hospital in one of the fastest growing areas of the state that needs an adequate health service," Cr Aubin said.

"This is the crux of the whole debate ... when people get sick they want to be treated in hospital and in a bed, not in the waiting room.

"They want to be fixed and it's just appalling that we could run out of beds.

"It's not even winter yet and the flu season hasn't really started. What's going to happen then?"

Cr Aubin said the hospital needed, first, more staff and then more beds to better serve the region.

"I would hate to be sick right now and relying on getting treated at the hospital or, worse, be sitting at home with a broken bone waiting for an operation that just got cancelled," he said.

"Are the people who run this place just trying to meet a budget? If that's the case, then give us more money."

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