Intensive Care Has Break

Newcastle Herald

Thursday December 11, 2008

By KYLIE WILLIAMS Health Reporter

NEWCASTLE Private Hospital will close its intensive care unit over the Christmas period and transfer any critical cases to John Hunter Hospital.

The hospital's director of nursing, Susan Treharne, said the only wards open from December 19 to January 12 would be obstetrics and rehabilitation.

Surgery and the intensive care unit would be closed during this time and any patients needing these services would be transferred to John Hunter Hospital.

Ms Treharne said the hospital had closed surgery and intensive care over Christmas for the past few years and there had been no problems with obstetrics patients.

"We do it every year and we've never had a problem," she said.

John Hunter Hospital also winds down its surgery cases over the festive season and from December 22 to January 5 will only conduct critical surgery.

Hunter New England Health director operations acute network Michael Di Rienzo said the significantly fewer patients at Newcastle Private Hospital over the two-and-a-half weeks its intensive care unit was closed would have little impact on the John Hunter.

"Generally the number of Newcastle Private Hospital patients requiring an intensive care bed during this period is low," he said.

Surgery will gradually resume to full capacity at the John Hunter Hospital on January 29.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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