Message to parents as Royal Children’s Hospital battles ‘unprecedented demand’

The Royal Children’s Hospital has warned of delays as it battles “unprecedented demand” in its emergency department.

Staff stayed back last night to try and cope with demand and doctors were asked to come in on their day off to try and get through the backlog.

The hospital is advising families to seek alternate care for their children if possible.

Royal Children’s Hospital chief of medicine, Associate Professor Tom Connell, says a “mixture of things” including viral infections, fever and respiratory tract symptoms have fuelled the increase in demand.

While the hospital will never turn patients away, parents are urged to consider alternative care pathways if suitable.

“We prioritise, obviously, the sicker patients. What we saw yesterday was there was a lot of patients who were in the less unwell category … and when there’s big numbers of those they’ll often wait a fairly long time to be seen,” Associate Professor Connell told Ross and Russel.

Press PLAY below to hear the Royal Children’s Hospital’s chief of medicine’s message to parents