Temporary services changes at MLHD facilities for holiday period

Temporary service changes at MLHD facilities for holiday period

Published on 19 December 2023

The Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) advises that temporary changes to services will take place at five of the District’s multipurpose service (MPS) facilities over the Christmas and summer holiday period to address workforce shortages.

There are significant challenges securing healthcare staff in rural and regional areas, not just for the Murrumbidgee region, but across Australia. Despite extensive recruitment efforts, a number of MLHD regional facilities have nursing vacancies they have been unable to fill.

From Monday 18 December 2023, changes will be temporarily introduced at Batlow, Berrigan, Boorowa, Coolamon-Ganmain and Urana Multipurpose Services (MPS) and remain in place until 29 January 2024.

The temporary changes at these facilities are:

Batlow MPS: Emergency department will be open between 07:00am – 9pm. Patients requiring ED treatment between the hours of 9pm and 7am should present to Tumut Hospital or in case of emergency call 000 for an ambulance. Berrigan MPS: Emergency department will be open between 07:00am – 9pm. Patients requiring ED treatment between the hours of 9pm and 7am should present to Finley Hospital or in case of emergency call 000 for an ambulance. Boorowa MPS: Emergency department will be open between 07:00am – 9pm.  Patients requiring ED treatment between the hours of 9pm and 7am should present to Murrumburrah-Harden Health Service or in case of emergency call 000 for an ambulance. Coolamon-Ganmain MPS; Emergency Department will be open between 07:00am – 5pm. Patients requiring ED treatment between the hours of 5pm and 7am should present to Junee MPS or in case of emergency call 000 for an ambulance. Urana MPS: From Monday 18 December, patients requiring ED treatment at any time should present to Lockhart MPS or in case of emergency call 000 for an ambulance.

The temporary changes will support our dedicated staff and ensure the continuation of safe, high-quality healthcare services for all patients while nursing recruitment continues. MLHD recognises and is deeply thankful for the outstanding commitment and tireless efforts of our nurses and midwives.

We acknowledge this is disappointing for the impacted communities and apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

We are working closely with NSW Ambulance to maintain 24/7 response to emergency care.

If an illness or injury is not life-threatening, we encourage people to visit their GP or call Healthdirect Australia on 1800 022 222, which is a 24-hour telephone health advice line staffed by registered nurses to provide fast, expert advice on any health issue and what to do next.