Edward River Council has agreed to edit its advocacy strategy which had read: ‘‘Children under 16 cannot be treated at Deniliquin Hospital and are usually transported by ambulance or by parents to Victoria to Echuca, Shepparton or Bendigo’’.
In pushing for the wording to be changed, the Deniliquin Health Action Group emphasised that while the majority of children will be treated locally for minor medical conditions, others who require higher level of care may be transferred or referred to facilities elsewhere.
DHAG chair Dr Marion Magee said there was concern such a statement would lead to Deniliquin Hospital being by-passed and parents seeking help elsewhere.
She said it is much safer having a child in an ambulance, if required, and having preliminary assessment, tests and appropriate referrals done before children present at other hospitals and services.
‘‘We asked council to review its statement and to engage with Deni HAG, the Local Health Advisory Committee and Murrumbidgee Local Health District to reflect an accurately worded statement,’’ Dr Magee said.
Council yesterday confirmed it has altered the strategy to now read: ‘‘Limited services are available at Deniliquin Hospital for children under 16, with many children needing to be transported by ambulance or by parents to larger regional centres such as Albury, Bendigo or Echuca’’.
It explained the previous statement was based on the feedback it received when calling for community experiences with health services in the region, with many indicating paediatric services available at Deniliquin ‘‘were insufficient or not available’’.
‘‘We have revised the statement to reflect what we are now informed to be the case — that basic paediatric services are available but in most cases, children do need to be transferred out of town,’’ a council spokesperson said.
‘‘Council remains committed to lobbying for better health services for all residents of Edward River and is grateful to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District for their dedicated work.’’
The issue around paediatric services has been a priority for DHAG, which has received data from MLHD on children under 16 who have presented for treatment at the Emergency Department of Deniliquin Hospital.
The data showed that even though admissions to Deniliquin Hospital were limited, for all of 2020 only 26 of the 1,434 paediatric cases that the hospital’s Emergency Department handled were transferred to another hospital.
‘‘We want to make it clear to parents and carers that the Deniliquin Hospital Emergency Department should be the first port of call if they have an emergency situation with a child,’’ Dr Magee said.
Treatments start when presenting at ED with intake history, observations and examinations if required (for example blood tests or X-rays), which is all part of the triage process to determine urgency of care and interventions.
Decisions regarding treatment, admissions and transfers are guided by the NSW Paediatric Capability Framework. Deniliquin is designated a Level 2 facility with regards to children and adolescents.
This framework also determines what surgical procedures can be performed at a hospital.
Apart from management and treatment of children through the Emergency Department, Deniliquin Hospital treats children who receive allied and mental health services through ante-natal follow up, community health and mental health, which all form part of the hospital services delivered to children in our community.
Dr Magee said the hospital’s Level 2 designation is determined by a range of complex factors such as availability of safe paediatric beds, suitably qualified staff with specific qualifications and accreditations, as well as availability of certain equipment. All these factors are taken into account to ensure that paediatric patients receive appropriate and safe care at all times.
‘‘DHAG acknowledges that people have varying experiences around satisfaction of treatment received when presenting to ED, and for some there are expectations that are not met.
‘‘However, lots of things have changed over the years and for this reason both the DHAG and LHAC are working together to advocate for better understanding of the frameworks and what that means for our children in Deniliquin.
‘‘We are currently working with MLHD for clear interpretation of this, as well as looking at what can be done to increase service delivery at Deniliquin Hospital, while always keeping safety of our children as number one priority.
‘‘We have also asked for discussions with senior New South Wales Health personnel over this Level 2 designation.’’
DHAG has emphasised that children are treated at Deniliquin Hospital and the vast majority who present at the Emergency Department are not transferred interstate.
‘‘We hope any documents which suggest otherwise will be corrected to ensure our community gets consistent and accurate messages,’’ Dr Magee said.
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