News

Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) is currently experiencing high demand across our hospital inpatient beds, which is slowing the flow of patients through the hospital. This may mean longer waits than usual in our Emergency Department, including for some people arriving by ambulance. We are sorry for the delays this causes, and we thank our community for their patience while our teams continue to provide safe, high-quality care.

What does “access and flow” mean?
In a hospital, “access and flow” is how patients move through the system: from arrival (often through Emergency) to a bed if they need to stay, to treatment and recovery, and then home or to the next stage of care. When patients who are ready to leave can’t be discharged as quickly as usual, beds aren’t available for new patients. When that happens, Emergency can become busier and ambulances may need to wait longer to transfer patients into our care.

Why is this happening right now?
We are coming off a sustained period of high demand, and we are currently caring for many patients with complex or serious conditions. Higher-acuity patients often need longer stays in hospital and more specialist input, which can slow bed availability.

Today we also welcomed a new intake of medical registrars and nurses. This is a positive step for the future of our workforce and for patient care, but like any first day in a new role, it can take time to settle into workflows and that can temporarily slow processes.

AWH Chief Operating Officer, Linda Hudec, said the health service was working hard to keep patients progressing safely through their care journey.

“We know waiting when you’re unwell, or when a loved one needs care, is stressful. I want our community to know our teams are doing everything possible to reduce delays while making sure every patient receives the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Ms Hudec said.

“At times like these, it helps when the whole community understands how the hospital works. If you have a serious or life-threatening emergency, please call Triple Zero (000) or come to Emergency. If your condition is urgent but not life-threatening, there are other services that may be able to help you sooner.”

What AWH is doing to improve access and flow
AWH remains focused on improving access and patient flow through our Timely Emergency Care (TEC) work and the ongoing optimisation of our Transit Lounge, which supports safe, timely transfers and discharges when patients are clinically ready.

We also continue to work closely with the Victorian Department of Health to embed system-wide initiatives, including the implementation of Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians, which set minimum expectations across Victoria to support timely ambulance transfer and emergency care.

Other care options for urgent (but not life-threatening) conditions
If you can’t access your usual GP and your condition is urgent but not life-threatening, you may wish to consider:

• Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) – an online service where you can speak with a team of nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors for medical advice: www.vved.org.au.
• Nurse On Call – phone health advice 24/7 on 1300 60 60 24.
• AWH Mental Health Triage Line – 1300 104 211. You can also contact Head to Health on 1800 595 212 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Community reminder: flu vaccination
With winter approaching, AWH encourages people to book their flu vaccination. Vaccination helps protect you and the people around you and helps reduce pressure on health services during peak respiratory illness season.

The flu vaccine is free for at-risk groups including children aged six months to five years, people over 65 years, pregnant women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people with medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe flu. 

Ms Hudec said getting vaccinated early provides the strongest protection against serious illness as flu activity increases heading into winter.

“Getting your flu vaccination early means you’ll have protection in place as we head into winter, protecting your health and the health of people around you,” Ms Hudec said. “The annual flu vaccine lowers your risk of getting the flu, and if you do catch it, it can help reduce how unwell you become.”

AWH will continue to monitor demand and make operational adjustments to support safe, timely care for our community.

Media contact: awh.communications@awh.org.au