The Inverell Hospital is under fire after a family lost their grandparents due to no physically present doctor at the facility in November.
The Northern Daily Leader reports 76-year-old Steven Jackson and 64-year-old Margaret Wing both succumbed to influenza A after the family sought emergency treatment for their illness on Friday November 14, only to be told “there was no doctor” until Monday, November 17.
Daughter Amanda Wing told the Leader that her 18-year-old son found her parents’ bodies in their home on November 16 adding no treatment options were given by the hospital including transporting the couple to Armidale or Tamworth.
A spokesperson from Hunter New England Health Local Health District confirmed there was not a doctor physically present” at Inverell hospital on November 14 and that despite every effort to secure medical coverage, there are occasions when a doctor may not be on site.
In a statement, the spokesperson said Inverell hospital continued to provide safe, high-quality emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week adding if a doctor is not physically on site, patients are supported through on-demand virtual care, with specialist emergency medicine doctors working closely with their highly skilled local nursing staff to guide diagnosis, treatment, admission decisions and, where required, transfer to other facilities.
Hunter New England Local Health District are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the family’s contact with Inverell Hospital and have been (and continue to be) in touch with Ms Wing to listen to and better understand her concerns.
