The ‘perfect storm’ overwhelming the Royal Children’s Hospital

A “perfect storm” has overwhelmed the Royal Children’s Hospital, and there are warnings the challenges are far from over.

The hospital last night notified the public it was facing “unprecedented demand” in its emergency department on Monday night, with some people forced to wait twelve hours.

Royal Children’s Hospital CEO Bernadette McDonald says ongoing workforce issues have taken a toll on the hospital, and the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has exacerbated the situation.

Press PLAY below to hear what’s fuelling the problem at the RCH

“I’ve got at least 120 every day who can’t come into work and we have to fill those gaps, and that’s on top of workforce shortages for us and across the whole system,” she told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

The Royal Children’s Hospital has been forced to cancel seven elective surgeries today due to a lack of beds.

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