Mersey Hospital – ED Emergency

WHAT: Mersey ED Critical – Ramping

WHERE: Mersey Hospital, Latrobe

WHEN: 1.30pm, Tuesday, 14 October, 2025

The ANMF invites the Tasmanian media to highlight the Mersey Community Hospital being at critical capacity for weeks.

ANMF Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd said the Mersey Community Hospital on Saturday night (5/10) recording the worst ramping figures in the State.

“Over this weekend period, staff were sent from this ED to another ED in the State to assist, ”Ms Shepherd said.

“Effectively, if a Category patient presents it leaves just two nurses in the Emergency Department and one or two nurses to manage.

“On a recent shift there were 15-18 patients to manage in the ED – plus the additional presentations that walked in or attended via ambulance.

“The Mersey ED is a critical emergency department for the community on the North-West.

“It is under-resourcing when dealing with such high demand and consistently being over capacity is yet another failure of the Tasmanian Government to ensure the safety of staff and the timeliness of care for patients.”

Ms Shepherd said the Mersey, like every other hospital in the State, is grappling with access and flow issues, with one shift this week starting with up to 12 patients awaiting admission, with ED patients parked on trolleys in the corridor.

“One patient in Unit waited up to 87 hours for admission to a ward bed and one patient waited up to 40 hours in ED, with the nationally expected timeframe being just 4 hours.

“This clearly demonstrates that every hospital in the State, including the Mersey in a state of crisis.

“We have patients piling up in Emergency Departments across the State, yet the Department of Health is still refusing to discuss access and flow initiatives that will alleviate wait times in Eds, facilitate timely admission to ward beds and prevent ambulance ramping.”

Ms Shepherd said the ANMF calls on the Tasmanian Government to immediately establish an access and flow round table to address this ongoing issue across the State which continues to escalate.

-End-

Media contact:
Emily Shepherd, ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Mobile: 0400 884 021
Email: Emily.Shepherd@anmftas.org.au