Cade Lucas
Addressing workforce shortages, increasing access and improving efficiency are the main priorities of new Werribee Mercy chief executive Michael Krieg.
A former nurse and 30 year veteran of health administration, Mr Krieg was last month appointed chief executive of Health Services for Mercy Health, a role which includes running Wyndham’s only public hospital.
In a recent interview with Star Weekly, he was quick to nominate staffing as the most important factor in achieving this.
“I think it all starts with workforce,” Mr Krieg said.
“There is a global workforce shortage in people and making sure you’ve got the right people in place across all the areas we operate is critical.”
Staffing shortages have long been an issue, not just at Werribee Mercy, but at hospitals nationwide, with recent estimates from Health Workforce Australia of a shortage of more than 100,000 nurses by 2025 and more than 123,000 by 2030.
Mr Krieg said shortages in other areas of the health system, such as general practitioners, combined with the aftermath of the pandemic and Wyndham’s rapid population growth, had made it difficult for locals to access care at Werribee Mercy.
“We know there’s a shortage of GP’s nationwide, so for a lot of people, their only option is to go to an emergency department.”
Delays at Werribee Mercy’s emergency department are among the worst in the state, with data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information showing that from July to September last year, just 39 per cent of admissions were treated within the recommended time, less than half the statewide target of 80 per cent.
Werribee Mercy’s emergency department is currently undergoing an upgrade, but Mr Krieg said along with bigger and better facilities, improving efficiency was key to improving performance.
“Emergency departments, in particular, don’t act in isolation of the rest of the hospital,” he said.
“If there is a block somewhere else in the hospital that does impact and vice versa, so we have to look at the full end to end system approach.”
To that end Werribee Mercy have already hired an access manager dedicated to improving the flow of patients throughout the hospital and removing friction points and blockages.
Recommendations from two recent reviews into the hospital are also in the process of being implemented.
Michael Krieg said such reviews were common place in hospitals where continual improvement was required in order for them to fulfill their role.
“It’s when people need the hospital, that we’re there and available for them in whatever form that takes and that we provide high quality and safe services to people when they do come in to visit us.”
