From 6pm on Tuesday night the Leeton District Hospital’s emergency department (ED) will be without an on-call doctor until 8am on Wednesday. 

There will again be no on-call doctor available to cover the ED from 2pm on Friday until 8am on Saturday. 

Prior to finding out about this week’s lack of ED coverage, Cr Reneker raised the issue of their being no on-call doctor available in Leeton over Christmas at last week’s monthly Leeton Shire Council meeting.  

In that situation a doctor from Griffith was called on to step up to the plate. 

At the meeting, Cr Reneker said government agencies needed to be held more accountable over public holiday periods when it came to services provided. 

This week’s shortages has Cr Reneker concerned about the slippery slope the hospital could be heading down. 

“I have two main concerns … the first is the people of Leeton are being put at risk,” he said. 

“If an emergency happens in these times where there are no doctors here and they have to be transported to somewhere like Griffith … it is concerning about what could happen.

“The second is I worry if this is going to become a regular occurrence and eventually the thinking could be ‘does Leeton (hospital) even need doctors?’ … it’s a real worry.”

Leeton has four general practitioners, supported by four registrars who are credentialed to cover the ED at the hospital. 

The Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) will be meeting with them to discuss improved rostering. 

MLHD director of operations Brett Thompson said despite their being no doctors available during these two time frames this week, the ED would continue to operate 24/7.

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“Experienced registered nurses (RNs) trained in emergency care will be available to assess and triage patients,” he said. 

“Any patients requiring a higher level of care will be transported to the nearest, appropriate hospital. 

“Leeton RNs will be supported by clinical staff at the MLHD patient flow unit who provide advice and support to district hospitals and also co-ordinate the timely transfer of patients needing further medical assessment to the most suitable nearby hospital. 

“Telehealth cameras can also be used to assist in the assessment of patients.”

In an emergency, residents have been reminded to call Triple Zero.