Toddler waits seven hours for stitches during patient surge

A Central Victorian mother says her toddler's "traumatic" wait for stitches for a head wound stretched to almost seven hours as the hospital struggled with a surge in patients.

Rykie Yates said she took her 20-month-old daughter Evangeline to Bendigo Health late last month after she split her head open on a fireplace.

She said when they arrived at the major regional hospital, it was in a state of "absolute bedlam".

"It was absolutely packed," she said. "The corridor was full … there were stretchers lined up along the wall.

"The staff were clearly stressed and run off their feet and treating people wherever there was room."

Ms Yates said her daughter "screamed and screamed" during the wait, and that eventually they were both covered in blood.

"At that point, I scooped her up and barged into the waiting area and … demanded help."

She said the staff were amazing, and that she doesn't blame them for the wait.

"They supported me as a traumatised mother; I was hysterical, I was crying," she said.

"But the fact that it took me parading out there covered in my daughter's blood, demanding help, is not OK.

"We've got this beautiful big new hospital. Why is it running worse than the old one?"

Stand-by for code yellow

The number of people attending Bendigo Health's emergency department has continued to surge in the weeks since Ms Yates's visit.

It experienced ambulance ramping twice last month, according to the Victorian Ambulance Union, resulting in paramedics treating patients outside the hospital.

"[Paramedics'] job isn't to treat patients in hospitals," union secretary Danny Hill said.

"We have ambulance paramedics out there [in the community] because we need that treatment brought to patients.

"When they're ramped at the hospital, they're not available to do that."

Staff were put on stand-by for a code yellow this week.

A code yellow is declared when a hospital faces an internal emergency, and its normal systems are under significant pressure.

The last time the hospital declared code yellow was April 14.

An email to staff from Bendigo Health Chief Allied Health Officer Sally Harris said the measure was activated in response to sustained demand and "increasing" pressure.

"High occupancy across our inpatient areas is limiting bed availability and creating challenges in managing demand across the service," the email said.

Bendigo Health chief medical officer Rex Prabhu said the hospital was admitting about a dozen more patients each day compared to the same time last year.

"We've got more patients who are sicker and requiring complex care and emergency surgery … and we've also got older patients who are medically ready for discharge remaining in hospital because aged care placement is not available," Dr Prabhu said.

He said some patients were transferred to nearby hospitals once treatment was complete to free up capacity.

In a statement, Bendigo Health said it had postponed "a small number" of planned surgeries last week to free up beds for emergency procedures, but that no category 1 surgeries had been cancelled.

"We understand any change to a planned surgery is distressing for patients and their families, and those affected are being contacted directly and supported to reschedule their procedure," a spokesperson said.

A government spokesperson said they understand the frustration that comes with long ED wait times.

"During the busy winter flu season, Victorians should always consider alternative options like the Virtual Emergency Department or Urgent Care Clinics if their condition is not life-threatening," they said.

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