Emergency department wait times at Werribee Mercy Hospital would be cut if the Victorian state government is re-elected next month. The government has promised to reduce wait times by up to 20 per cent across Victoria, which it says will help more than 210,000 patients each year. The plan includes a 25 per cent expansion to 12 hospital emergency departments, hiring 1500 health workers including 750 nurses, and adding 250 beds. Premier Ben Carroll said more nurses would mean patients are seen sooner.
The family of 86-year-old Leo Barraclough say his death at Caboolture Hospital in June 2024 was not reported to the coroner. An ABC investigation found multiple problems with his care, including delayed antibiotics, missed observations and an opioid dose that was higher than recommended. Hospital staff recorded his death as not unexpected. After the ABC raised questions, Metro North Health Service referred the death to the coroner out of an abundance of caution. The family has welcomed the referral.
Victoria's Labor government has promised 45 extra beds and 145 nurses for Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of a $1.5 billion election commitment. The plan would expand emergency departments at 12 Victorian hospitals by an average of 25 per cent and reduce waiting times at those hospitals by up to 20 per cent. Labor says the expansion depends on winning re-election. The government has not yet released construction timetables or explained how the waiting time reduction was calculated.
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Doctors' union SASMOA says the emergency department at Mount Gambier hospital had about 30 patients for 12 treatment spaces last Wednesday, and a code white should have been called. The union wants regional hospitals added to a public dashboard that currently tracks only Adelaide emergency departments. Health Minister Blair Boyer said presentations have risen across the state, citing a flu spike and patients waiting to move into aged care. Mr Boyer said he would consider adding regional data but must be convinced it would add value.
More than 600 people toured the new Acute Services Building at Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital during a community open day over the weekend. The seven-storey building is part of a $440 million redevelopment and will open to patients on Wednesday 28 October. It includes a new emergency department, intensive care unit, dedicated acute mental health unit, double the number of operating theatres and a rooftop helipad. Shoalhaven Hospital Group General Manager Frank Bazik said the services will let residents be diagnosed and treated locally rather than travelling outside the region.
Peptide-related emergency department admissions in NSW have risen sharply, with 1180 recorded over a 15-month period to September. Monthly presentations linked to the products reached an average of 217 by September, up from five in July 2025. Health Minister Ryan Park urged people to speak with their GP before using unprescribed peptides. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said product packaging, websites and endorsements do not confirm what a product contains. Several widely available peptides are not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne will open its expanded emergency department in December. The Victorian Government has committed $66 million to staff the new treatment spaces from the first day. The expansion adds 20 treatment spaces and is expected to let the hospital treat an additional 13,000 children each year. A new procedure room will allow minor procedures without admitting children to a ward. The funding supports more than 85 additional full-time equivalent positions, including up to 25 graduate nurses.
The Victorian government has committed an extra $66 million to staff 20 new beds at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. The beds were promised under a $55 million upgrade in 2018 and were due to open in November, but staff had warned they would sit empty without funding. The package funds 85 extra full-time equivalent nursing positions, including up to 25 graduate nurses. The government says the beds will be staffed and ready to treat children when they open in December. Premier Ben Carroll said the beds would let an extra 13,000 children receive emergency care.
A coroner has found that eight-year-old Amrita Lanka could have been saved if she had been moved to intensive care sooner at Monash Medical Centre. She died in April 2022, less than 24 hours after being admitted with gastroenteritis symptoms. The coroner said a junior doctor missed signs she was deteriorating. Monash Health said it has made changes to patient monitoring, escalation of care and how heart test results are read. The family lived in Clayton South.
A Victorian coroner has found that the actions of a junior doctor contributed to the preventable death of an eight-year-old girl, Amrita Lanka, at Monash Medical Centre in 2022. Deputy State Coroner Paresa Spanos said the doctor did not recognise the severity of Amrita's symptoms, which included breathing difficulties. The coroner noted that timely intervention and transfer to a specialised hospital could have saved her life. Amrita's parents have sought answers over their daughter's death, which they believe could have been avoided with better care. Monash Health has since made changes to its practices and policies.
A Victorian coroner has found that the death of eight-year-old Amrita Varshini Lanka at Monash Children's Hospital in 2022 was preventable. Deputy state coroner Paresa Spanos said her life could have been saved by about 4am, when test results showed she was deteriorating. Ms Spanos said the care given by emergency registrar Patrick Tan was wanting and contributed to the death. She made no formal recommendations but noted changes the hospital has since made, including requiring clinicians to notify on-call consultants in specific cases. Amrita's parents were present in court and did not speak to media.
RMIT University and Northern Health are testing acupuncture alongside standard care for patients with acute pain in emergency departments. The PANDA project at Northern Hospital aims to ease patient discomfort and possibly shorten hospital stays. Early findings show strong interest, with more than 90 per cent of surveyed patients saying they would consider acupuncture if it reduced their medication use. One patient who had shoulder pain said the pain was significantly less after treatment. The project is funded by Northern Health, RMIT and community donations.
The Tasmanian Government is progressing a $130 million expansion of the Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department. Health Minister Bridget Archer said the work is being staged so the hospital stays open. A Short Stay Unit with 28 treatment points opened in 2023, and staff amenities, offices and training facilities were upgraded in 2024. The current phase will lift capacity to 120 treatment points across three levels, with a dedicated paediatric zone and waiting areas for children and people in mental health distress.
A 71-year-old woman says she spent four hours on the floor of a busy emergency department at Noarlunga Hospital, south of Adelaide, after being judged fit to sit despite struggling to breathe. Ginny Chalmer, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said she felt too unwell to sit in the waiting room. SA Health has apologised and confirmed the incident is under review. Acting Health Minister Joe Szakacs said the local health network and his office had spoken to Chalmer.
