Courageous change urged as emergency departments struggle to meet demand

Written By Clare Skinner

April 2021

ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Courageous change urged as emergency departments struggle to meet demand - The World Today - ABC Radio

The Australian Medical Association says emergency departments around the country are on the brink of collapse, with patients waiting hours to be seen and ambulances banking up in numbers previously unheard of.

ED staff blame a number of factors, including increasing number of people in mental health crisis exacerbations of chronic conditions and older adults being admitted from aged care facilities.

There are calls for courageous change and nurses say advanced nurse practitioners should be given more scope to provide primary health care in the community to prevent people's health problems escalating to the point they need emergency care.

Duration: 4min 14secBroadcast: Wed 28 Apr 2021, 12:11pm

Featured:
Doctor Omar Khorshid, president, Australian Medical Association
Dr Clare Skinner, president-elect, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.
Chris O'Donnell, nurse practitioner, Queensland State Chair, Australian College of Nursing
Mary Chiarella, Professor Emerita, Sydney Nursing School, Sydney University

Clare Skinner

Dr Clare Skinner is a specialist emergency physician with interests in leadership, advocacy, workplace culture, quality and safety, clinical redesign and health system reform. Her current areas of focus include transformation of the emergency department workforce, improving care of people with mental health symptoms, building positive culture in hospitals, and fostering diversity and inclusion in health services. Clare works as a clinician, manager and educator. She is a frequent contributor to academic journals, mainstream media and medical blogs on topics related to hospital practice and culture. Clare is a regular speaker at emergency medicine and leadership conferences and seminars. She was selected in the Top 50 Public Sector Women NSW in 2018.

https://clareskinner.com
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