Paramedics are being stuck at the Wagga Rural Referral Hospital (WRRH) with sick patients on board their ambulances for up to four hours at a time, leaving the community uncovered, according to the Australian Paramedics Association (APA), with claims the delays are worse than ones experienced at the old hospital.

APA Riverina zone liaison officer Darren Rudd said the new ED was operating under a different patient flow model, with the old one operating 13 acute care beds.

“They only have seven operational beds in the new ED,” Mr Rudd said.

“They don’t have the staff in place.”

Murrumbidgee Local Health District operations director Brett Thompson said the shortages were only temporary.

Mr Thompson said the WRRH Emergency Medical Unit (EMU) will open on Monday next week, which will add another eight beds to the equation.

The EMU opening will also bring a number of new staff to ease the burden on the busy department.

The triage process is essentially the same as the old model, but the new EMU will cater for patients that need short-term care – up to 23 hours.

“It is absolutely our priority to get patients out of ambulances and into beds as soon as possible,” Mr Thompson said.

Mr Thompson said a delay in the recruitment process was the cause for the delay of the EMU opening, not a lack of government funding.

Mr Thompson added he was working with the Wagga Rural Referral Hospital executive team to develop rosters to accommodate the peaks and troughs of demands throughout the day.

Mr Rudd agreed the opening of the EMU next to the ED should ease ambulance bed block.

“The opening of Emergency Unit next door should ease bed block,” Mr Rudd said.

“But at the moment it’s leaving the community uncoverered.

“Staff at the hospital are working their bottoms off.”