West Moreton Health has expanded the capacity of its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department (ED) at Ipswich Hospital.
The Queensland Government has a $1.2 billion COVID-19 response plan to support the health system to respond to novel coronavirus (COVID-19), including expansion of fever clinics, emergency department capacity and acute care services.
‘We have more than double our ICU beds, from seven to 16, which represents a sustainable balance between the current resources we need for the community and foreseeable demand,” Ipswich Hospital Executive Director Michael Lewczuk said.
“In the event that more ICU beds were needed, West Moreton Health would liaise with the State-wide Intensive Care Clinical Network (SICCN), which coordinates the strategic continuity of intensive care in hospitals throughout Queensland.”
The cost of a single bed in ICU depends on multiple factors that vary between individual patients, such as their length of stay, the severity of their condition, their medication and the medical interventions they require.
The number of available ICU beds fluctuates throughout each day, depending on admissions and discharges.
Should patients at Gatton, Boonah, Esk or Laidley hospitals require intensive care during the COVID-19 outbreak, they will be cared for at Ipswich Hospital or another Queensland Health hospital, depending on demand.
“West Moreton Health has developed a tiered response to the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure we have the agility to respond appropriately to increased presentations while providing optimal business-as-usual care for the community,” Mr Lewczuk said.
“Since the beginning of the global outbreak, our first line of defence has been our Public Health Unit (PHU) staff who are tasked with the important work of finding, testing and isolating people suspected of having COVID-19.
“Not everyone is going to get COVID-19, but we all have a role to play in keeping ourselves and others well.”
Measures to be taken include:
Social distancing, which means staying home as much as possible
- keeping 1.5 metres away from others when you leave home
- working from home where possible
- washing your hands often and well with soap and water, or using alcohol-based rub.
The latest case information is published daily on the West Moreton Health and Queensland Health websites as well as the Ipswich City Council daily COVID-19 blog.
Costs? What costs in a public hospital, especially urgent cases? I’m glad you are expanding, I just hope it’s not to the detriment of patients’ pockets, many of whom who would be aged pensioners!
I live in Karalee & last Friday doctor told me I had to go hospital immediately owing to blood tests he received back late afternoon. Ambulance were told no way could Ipswich Hospital take another patient as ambulances were ramped & so I was bought to QE11 where I still am, seems same old story with Ipswich Hospital as usual.