Bulli's Health Future Sealed
Illawarra Mercury
Monday October 11, 2004
TEN days after Illawarra physicians voted to withdraw from Bulli Hospital's roster, the fate of the 111-year-old cottage hospital appears to be sealed.
And while no-one from Health Minister Morris Iemma down seems keen to admit it, Bulli Hospital's most likely future role is as a day surgery facility, catering for only recuperating or rehabilitating medical patients.Any acutely ill patients will in future go to Wollongong or Shellharbour hospitals.It's also understood the hospital's emergency department could close, in line with the recommendations of an external review conducted earlier this year.The sudden withdrawal by physicians from Bulli Hospital left staff at the northern suburbs hospital in turmoil.On Friday, some staff were reportedly in tears after circulation of a memo calling for volunteers to work at other hospitals. The memo expressed what many had feared - that no immediate solution to the hospital's rostering problems could be found."It's unlikely that we will get enough people to run a roster," physician Christopher Dunn confirmed yesterday.Illawarra physicians voted to withdraw from the Bulli Hospital roster on September 30, citing intolerable workloads that were dangerous for patients and doctors alike. They claimed a lack of physicians had left some doctors to care for as many as 100 new cases a day. With Illawarra physicians trying to maintain rosters at Wollongong, Shellharbour and Bulli hospitals "something had to give", said Len Harvey, director of the Illawarra's medical stream.He said the problem was not Bulli, but Shellharbour Hospital. Pulling out of the Bulli roster was seen as the only solution to easing the pressure on physicians trying to care for acutely ill patients at Shellharbour.Last Wednesday, Dr Harvey said the physicians had agreed to man the Bulli roster again from today, but this has proved not to be possible.In the days since the physicians withdrew from the roster, there have been no new medical admissions at Bulli. Already one medical ward - the Roper Ward - has been closed.Dr Dunn said the physicians would have more meetings with Illawarra Health about the hospital's future this week, but he expected the most likely outcome was that it would cater in future to only "slow stream medical" patients. He said despite a call for other physicians to volunteer for the Bulli roster, none had come forward.The Mercury believes Mr Iemma and health bureaucrats are considering a final report by consultants who investigated the hospital's emergency department in March.The consultants were brought in after members of the Northern Illawarra medical staff council labelled the emergency department unsafe.An interim report by the consultants led to Illawarra Health's decision to have ambulances bypass Bulli Hospital in favour of Wollongong and Shellharbour.It's believed the final report recommends the emergency department close, to be replaced by a primary care clinic that will operate 16 hours a day.A feasibility study of Bulli Hospital, completed last year, revealed a major injection of funds was needed to bring the historic hospital up to the standard of the Illawarra's other hospitals.Professor Kerry Goulston, chair of the Greater Metropolitan Transition Taskforce, came to Wollongong last week to speak to members of the medical staff council. It's understood he was sympathetic to the concerns of physicians and has agreed to visit Bulli Hospital soon.
© 2004 Illawarra Mercury
