November 29, 2022
South Burnett mayor Brett Otto and councillors met recently with local hospital management to discuss health services in the region.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss ways Council could work together with Darling Downs Health to improve hospital services and health outcomes for residents of the South Burnett.
“Council is working closely with senior management to support the ongoing improvement of local hospital and health services in Kingaroy and across the region,” Mayor Otto said.
“The staff in our local hospitals, including at the new Kingaroy Hospital which was opened earlier this year, do a wonderful job with growing patient numbers.
“We understand the challenges in attracting staff across regional Queensland and will be doing everything we can to assist.”
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Concerns over alleged understaffing at the Kingaroy Hospital are not a new issue.
A staff member who spoke to southburnett.com.au recently on the condition of anonymity said she believed Toowoomba simply did not understand the position at Kingaroy Hospital.
Kingaroy Hospital staffing issues were also highlighted in State Parliament recently by local MP Deb Frecklington.
She said nurses had told her there was chronic understaffing and concerns over security.
“The inpatient ward is constantly under pressure to exceed their staffed bed capacity when patients need to be admitted from the ED. They simply do not have the staff-to-patient ratio they need,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“Hospital staff are burnt out, morale is low and many are on stress leave.
“The nurses tell me they simply cannot deal with the pressure much longer without an acknowledgement from the government that there are staff shortages at the Kingaroy Hospital.
“They need support. They are expected to complete all of their administrative tasks and undertake patient care. They say this is impossible, and I agree with them. There must be urgent action to fix this ongoing high number of short-staffed shifts.”
- Related article: Qld Hospitals In Crisis: LNP
