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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lucy Bladen

Paediatric emergency department wing not operating at full capacity: Liberals

The paediatric emergency department ward at Canberra Hospital. Picture by Jamila Toderas

The ACT's opposition will call on the government to ensure a dedicated emergency service wing for children at Canberra Hospital is open full time.

The paediatric emergency department ward has been closed intermittently throughout this year.

The $5.8 million department, opened in 2016, has six children's beds, two consultation rooms and a private waiting area.

The waiting area has a large play area with toys and there are colourful murals on the walls in order to provide a welcoming environment for children.

Opposition health spokeswoman Leanne Castley will move a motion calling on the government to ensure a paediatric emergency department wing at Canberra Hospital is operating at full capacity. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

Opposition health spokeswoman Leanne Castley will call on the government to immediately ensure the wing is operating at full capacity and to commit to keeping the wing permanently open.

"The paediatric ED is an essential service for our sick kids and the government has to stop operating or not operating it on the whim of some hospital executive," she said.

"The unit is a much-needed safe haven for sick kids and their families to reduce their anxiety at what is often a dreadful time.

"It is unacceptable for the government to be mothballing the paediatric emergency wing and forcing children into the adult ED where they are exposed to adult patients who may have mental health challenges or be drug or alcohol affected."

Ms Castley will move a motion in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday on the matter.

Clinicians have raised concerns about the closure of the wing. Ms Castley has claimed the wing only operated 50 per cent of the time between April to August and since August has only operated 20 per cent of the time.

The government is expected to amend the motion. It is understood different data has been provided to the government around the operating capacity of the wing.

Paediatric patients are treated under a separate stream to adult patients. This is always the case even when the dedicated children's wing is closed.

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