Sea World Resort hotel to run a hospital ward
Sea World Hotel Resort has become a makeshift hospital for ‘low acuity’ patients.
The theme park’s hotel will provide a hospital ward that can accommodate 24 patients to ease the burden on the state’s overrun hospital system.
There will be a dozen rooms with nurses stationed at the resort 24 hours a day and doctors doing the rounds once a day.
“We will provide hotel-type accommodation in a specific area at the Sea World Resort,” an FAQ document for the scheme reads.
“The rooms are spacious and you will have a single room opening up to a garden area.
“This is an extension of your hospital care, so all care is provided to you like when you were in hospital.”
The hotel hospital concept was revealed when Internal health department documents, were obtained by the Liberal National Party opposition.
“Severely injured patients are now pawns in the Palaszczuk government’s cover-ups, as they’re desperately shuffled into hotel rooms to hide the true depths of the Queensland health crisis,” LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates said.
“The Palaszczuk Labor government are privatising the health system by stealth.
“It is rank hypocrisy.”
According to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman hotel rooms are being used for patients “preparing for discharge”.
The initiative helps to free up beds ahead of the flu season.
“This model of care complements several hospital avoidance and discharge programs and helps with bed flow pressures to ease wait times in emergency departments.
“The other way to reduce blockages in our emergency department is to get our long-stay patients into aged care and disability facilities – that is what I’m interested in talking to the federal government about.
“We have 750 patients, long-stay patients, in our hospitals that should be in an aged-care facility or disability care.”
Bates claims severely injured patients are being cared for at the hotel without specialist care. This claim seemed to be backed up by Gold Coast-based MP Sam O’Connor.
“The hotel bed could not be height adjusted and the chairs were not suitable for an elderly patient with hip breaks,” O’Connor said.
“Is it acceptable Queenslanders like Rod are receiving care in a hotel instead of in a hospital?”
Fentiman said patient care decisions were made by doctors.
Jonathan Jackson, 25th May 2023
