SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Four

Following on from:

• SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, 1-11 December 2021 
• SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Two 
• SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Three.

On 17 December 2021 NSW Health announced changes to its COVID-19 test, contact and trace system. From this point forward the individual who had a confirmed COVID-19 positive test will be informed of this fact by NSW Health but it will be the personal responsibility of the infected person to inform others in their family, friendship and workplace groups that they too may have contracted the virus.

NSW Health & Northern NSW Local Health District, based on media release excerpts and datasets, COVID-19 data for Friday, 17 December 2021:

# NSW recorded 2,482 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday 17 December 2021, including 1 death.

A total of 226 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed by the required additional testing in NSW. However, on the basis that specific genomic testing showed that 9.10% of Friday’s confirmed COVID-19 cases were caused by SARS-C0V-2 Omicron Variant. According to NSW Health all COVID-19 cases from this point forward will be assumed to be caused by the Omicron variant without initial variant specific investigation.

There are currently 206 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 26 people in intensive care, nine of whom require ventilation.

Across NSW, 93.3% of people aged 16 and over and 78% of people aged 12 to 15 years, are fully vaccinated.

• Of the 2,482 cases reported to 8pm last night, 899 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 362 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 286 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 232 are from Sydney LHD, 219 are from Western Sydney LHD, 159 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 81 are from Central Coast LHD, 62 are from Northern NSW LHD, 42 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 35 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 29 are from Western NSW LHD, 28 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 13 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, six are from Southern NSW LHD, and 29 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

The total number of active COVID-19 cases now stands at 11,760 people – with est. 11,500 of these ill people remaining at home as of 17 December.

To 8pm 17 December, 62 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 6 of the 7 local government areas in Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 46 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Ballina Shire – 8 cases across postcodes 2477, 2478; 

• Lismore City – 3 cases across postcodes 2480, 

• Clarence Valley – 2 cases across postcode 2460;

• Kyogle – 2 cases across postcode 2474;

• Tweed Shire – 1 case in postcode 2483;

• Richmond Valley – 0 cases.

TOTAL 62

There is one COVID-positive patient in hospital in Northern NSW.

To date, no cases in NNSWLHD have been confirmed as the Omicron variant of concern.

The most common locations for transmission of COVID-19 in our region continue to be pubs, parties and gatherings in indoor spaces.[my yellow highlighting]

BACKGROUND

UK Health Security Agency 1... by clarencegirl Click on symbol in lower righthand corner to enlarge

# NSW recorded 2,566 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday, 18 December 2021.

A total of 313 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed by the required additional genomic sequencing tests. However, even though the Omicron variant caused just 12.19% of the 2,566 new cases that Friday; “NSW Health advises that the Omicron variant of concern likely accounts for the majority of today’s cases”.  

As at 18 December there are 14,050 active cases of COVID-19 in the state and est. 25,687 active cases Australia-wide.

There are currently 227 COVID-19 cases admitted to NSW hospitals, with 28 people in intensive care, ten of whom require ventilation. Australia-wide that number is est. 717 cases currently hospitalized.

To date the total number of persons in NSW confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 since January 2020 are 97,369 individuals, of whom 645 have died. According to the Australian Dept. of Heath, nationally that cumulative total of confirmed cases is 246,797 individuals of whom 2,142 have died. 

So as of 18 December 2021, 39.45% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases were recorded in New South Wales, along with 30.11% of all COVID-19 related deaths.

• Of the 2,566 cases reported to 8pm last night, 712 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 446 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 303 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 311 are from Sydney LHD, 279 are from Western Sydney LHD, 189 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 72 are from Central Coast LHD, 66 are from Northern NSW LHD, 50 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 31 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 37 are from Western NSW LHD, 23 are from Mid North Coast LHD, six are from Murrumbidgee LHD, seven are from Southern NSW LHD, one is from Far West LHD and 33 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

To 8pm 18 December, 66 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 5 of the 7 local government areas in Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 49 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Ballina Shire – 8 cases across postcodes 2478;

• Tweed Shire – 4 cases across postcodes 2484, 2487, 2489;

• Lismore City – 3 cases across postcode 2480; 

• Richmond Valley – 2 cases across postcodes 2469, 2473; 

• Clarence Valley – 0 cases

• Kyogle Shire – 0 cases

TOTAL 66

There are two COVID-19 infected patients in hospital in Northern NSW.

UPDATE

# NSW recorded 2,501 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Sunday 19 December 2021.

On 19 December the total of active COVID-19 cases in NSW was 16,225 persons.

There are currently 261 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 33 people in intensive care, 11 of whom require ventilation.

• Of the 2,501 cases reported to 8pm last night, 660 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 417 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 339 are from Sydney LHD, 315 are from Western Sydney LHD, 250 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 227 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 77 are from Central Coast LHD, 40 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 34 are from Northern NSW LHD, 24 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 24 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 20 are from Western NSW LHD, nine are from Murrumbidgee LHD, seven are from Far West LHD, four are from Southern NSW LHD, and 54 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

To 8pm 19 December, 34 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 5 of the 7 local government areas of Northern NSW:

The following postcode list is incomplete due to corrupted/incomplete published dataset

• Byron Shire – 21 cases across postcodes 2481, 2482, 2483,

• Ballina Shire – 4 cases across postcodes 2478,

• Lismore City – 4 cases across postcodes 2472, 2480,

• Tweed Shire – 4 cases across postcodes 2484, 2489,

• Clarence Valley – 1 case across postcode

• Kyogle Shire – 0 cases

• Richmond Valley – 0 cases

TOTAL 34

There are five COVID-positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW.

*

New planning regime announcement by Perrottet Government "smacks of disrespect and contempt for the third tier of democratically elected government, and the communities they represent"

IMAGE: Planning Institute of Australia

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Liberal MLA for Pittwater, wannabee premier & pinup boy of the developer set, Rob Stokes (left), was recently boasting that to facilitate urban development "Last financial year we cleared 336 rezoning proposals through the system".

Not content with that rate of urbanisation Stokes has now released a suite of new changes to environmental assessment and planning rules, including the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Statement of Expectations) Order which reserves the right for the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to intervene where councils are not upholding their responsibilities - as perceived by the minister of the day, lobbyists for the building industry and property developers themselves.

Understandably, some aspects of these changes were not well received at the coal face.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW), media release, 16 December 2021:

Councils furious at ‘disrespectful’ planning announcement

A punishing new planning regime for NSW councils has been described as a follow-up gut punch to councils before the NSW cabinet reshuffle expected this week.

The regime – announced to developers by NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes yesterday – includes a new planning guarantee requiring councils to refund planning application fees if they do not meet timelines arbitrarily imposed by the State Government.

“This announcement is a second gut punch, following hard on the heels of the lowest rate peg setting in 20 years – a rate so low that councils are already being forced to consider cuts to services, infrastructure and jobs,” Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Darriea Turley said.

“It was dropped at a developers’ lunch 10 days before Christmas, and before the councils elected at the 4 December elections have even been declared by the NSW Electoral Commission, let alone had a chance to meet.

“The Minister is no doubt rushing to lock in what he sees as his legacy before he is moved out of the portfolio in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, but this announcement smacks of disrespect and contempt for the third tier of democratically elected government, and the communities they represent.”

A media release issued by Minister Stokes foreshadowed:

• one-size-fits-all maximum timeframes for assessments and determinations by councils

• A new planning guarantee requiring councils to refund planning application fees if they do not meet government-imposed time frames

• Ministerial intervention powers if the Government believes councils are not upholding their responsibilities.

Cr Turley said it was particularly rich for the Minister to be claiming he was simply asking councils to meet the same standard of timeliness and certainty on rezoning and development applications as the NSW Government.

“It is not uncommon for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to take more than a year to assess planning proposals by councils,” she said.

“Where is the recognition that the development industry often submits partially complete or wildly speculative proposals well outside the approved strategic plans for the area, slowing the process?

“Where is the recognition that councils are already grappling with a plethora of other changes pushed through by this Minister – changes that are impacting their systems and processes, and placing additional strain on an already-strained workforce?

“These include having to recalibrate their systems to integrate with the Planning Portal; amending, developing and updating their land use plans; preparing new plans and implementation strategies for housing and employment; changing the names and definition in their polices and plans; increasing their planning and development reporting – all with significant shortages of planning staff.

“Planning is a critical function jointly delivered by local and state governments, and communities deserve a co-designed system.

“Local government has always committed to working with the Minister for Planning to provide a genuinely collaborative system that delivers the best outcome for the people of NSW.

“We are profoundly disappointed the outgoing Minister has decided to leave our sector on such a negative note”.

Cartoon of the Week

Cathy Wilcox

Tweets of the Week

 

200 Dead Trees in Forest Corps Log Dump - Stand Up For Cherry Tree Forest https://t.co/BYjuFJhbzD via @forests4ever
Logging Koala habitat 🐨🌳😢 #nswnorthcoast #worthmorestanding #standup4forests #nswpol

— Meredith Stanton (@CloudsCreek) December 14, 2021

#Antarctica just registered its 2nd lowest November sea ice extent in the satellite era (43 years), amid our planet's 4th warmest November in 142 years of records.

More details here > https://t.co/GvZd7sv7YM pic.twitter.com/DDfPGmQkte

— Ben Domensino (@Ben_Domensino) December 15, 2021

YouTube of the Week

 

 

SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Three

 

Following on from SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, 1-11 December 2021 and SARS-CoV-2 Delta & Omicron Variants in NSW and Northern NSW, December 2021 - Part Two.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus entered Australia on 15 January 2020 and the country became part of a global pandemic. By 26 March that year there had been 2,779 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections, 1,219 of which were recorded in New South Wales. At that point the national death toll stood at 13 individuals. 

By 15 June 2021 the cumulative national total of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 30,274 cases, including 910 deaths. However, nationally the total number of active cases on that day was just 116 cases and only 27 of those 116 people were hospitalized.

It seemed as though Australia might have a good chance of beating the virus back by the end of 2021.

Then on 16 June 2021 the more infectious SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant was found to have entered Australia and daily infection numbers began to grow rapidly as the outbreak spread across New South Wales and Victoria and entered other states and territories. 

As at 3pm on 19 September 2021, the national cumulative total of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 85,629 cases, including 1,162 deaths, and approximately 19,595 active cases. On 31 October 2021, that total had grown to 170,458 confirmed cases, including 1,734 deaths, and approximately 25,917 active cases. 

The Morrison Government announced that Australia's international border was reopening from 1 November 2021.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant was reported to have entered Australia at Sydney International Airport on 27 November 2021.

By 1 December, although the national cumulative total and death toll was still rising (211,655 cases including 2,011 deaths), the number of active cases was was falling (14,808) and hospital admissions stood at 532 individuals with 71 in intensive care. However by 15 December 2021 the numbers did not look as hopeful with a cumulative total of 235,562 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 2,117 deaths and, approximately 18,025 active cases and 625 hospital admission with 109 in intensive care as of that Wednesday. At this point NSW had recorded 88,595 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 641 deaths since January 2020.

From one regional perspective this is the situation as it continues to unfold .....

On 15 December 2021 the NSW Perrottet Government reduced public health order restrictions to a minimum.

• Masks are only required on public transport and planes, at airports, in hospitals and healthcare facilities, and for indoor front-of-house hospitality staff who are not fully vaccinated

• No density limits for all settings

• COVID safety plans will be optional for businesses

• Fully vaccinated contacts only have to isolate until they receive a negative PCR result. However, household close contacts and close contacts in any other settings identified by NSW Health are still be required to isolate for seven days and comply with PCR testing requirements.

Based on NSW Health & Northern NSW Local Health District, media release excerpts, COVID-19 data for 15 -16 December 2021:

# NSW recorded 1,742 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday 15 December 2021.

A total of 122 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in NSW.

There are currently 192 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 26 people in intensive care, eight of whom require ventilation.

Across NSW, 93.3% of people aged 16 years and over and 77.8% of people 12 to 15 years of age are fully vaccinated.

• Of the 1,742 cases reported to 8pm last night, 633 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 231 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 188 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 166 are from Western Sydney LHD, 159 are from Sydney LHD, 111 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 81 are from Northern NSW LHD, 43 are from Central Coast LHD, 38 are from Western NSW LHD, 28 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 23 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 14 are from Mid North Coast LHD, five are from Murrumbidgee LHD, four are from Far West LHD, three are from Southern NSW LHD, and 15 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [ my yellow highlighting]

To date in December 2021 a total of 294 Northern NSW residents have become infected with COVID-19.

To 8pm 15 December, the 81 new cases of COVID-19 in Northern NSW were in 6 of the 7 local government areas in the region:

• Byron Shire – 65 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Ballina Shire – 9 cases across postcodes 2477 & 2478;

• Lismore City – 4 cases across postcode 2480;

• Richmond Valley – 1 case in postcode 2470;

• Tweed Shire – 1 case possibly in postcode 2487;

• Clarence Valley – 1 case in postcode 2460.

TOTAL 81

# NSW recorded 2,213 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm Thursday 16 December 2021, including 1 death. 

A total of 185 cases of COVID-19 with the Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in NSW to date .

There are currently 215 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 24 people in intensive care, eight of whom require ventilation. 

Across NSW, 93.3% of people aged 16 & over and 77.9% of people aged 12 to15 years are fully vaccinated. 

• Of the 2,213 cases reported to 8pm last night, 674 are from Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD), 279 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 266 are from Western Sydney LHD, 261 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 204 are from Sydney LHD, 165 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 96 are from Northern NSW LHD, 88 are from Central Coast LHD, 32 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 30 are from Mid North Coast LHD, 29 are from Western NSW LHD, 25 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 25 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, seven are from Southern NSW LHD, four are from Far West LHD, and 28 are yet to be assigned to an LHD. [my yellow highlighting]

Due to infection numbers continuing to grow, on 16 December the official stress level for the entire NSW public hospital system had reached RED status once more.

To 8pm on 16 December, 96 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 5 of the 7 local government areas in Northern NSW:

• Byron Shire – 57 cases across postcodes 2479, 2481, 2482, 2483;

• Ballina Shire – 18 cases across postcodes 2477, 2478;

• Lismore City – 9 cases across postcode 2480;

• Tweed Shire – 8 cases across postcodes 2484, 2485, 2487, 2489;

• Clarence Valley – 4 cases across postcodes 2464, 2465, & possibly 2460;

• Richmond Valley – 0 cases;

• Kyogle – 0 cases.

TOTAL 96

There is currently one COVID-positive patient in hospital in Northern NSW.

To date, no cases in NNSWLHD have been confirmed as the Omicron variant of concern.

On 16 December 2021 NSW Health tweeted that it had "temporarily restricted visitors to healthcare facilities due to increasing transmission rates with the emergence of the Omicron variant....Local Health Districts will apply a risk assessment to allow local exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Any person permitted to visit must be fully vaccinated, agree to wear a mask and follow advice from healthcare staff."*

December 2021: What the newspapers are saying....

 

The Daily Telegraph, 15 December 2021, p10:

The CEO of an organisation that managed an East Lismore group home where significant issues arose has apologised on behalf of the service provider.

Life Without Barriers CEO Claire Robbs addressed the Disability Royal Commission on Tuesday.

Ms Robbs addressed issues including those which arose in relation to a particular resident of the group home, referred to by the pseudonym Sophie and another, known as Natalie.

“It deeply saddens me that for the people who have shared their stories with the disability Royal Commission, our organisation has not met this promise,” Ms Robbs said.

“The physical abuse Sophie experienced is unquestionably not in keeping with Sophie’s right to feel safe and respected in her own home.” “I do not condone the violence towards Sophie, and I offer Sophie and her family our sincere apology for the harm caused to her, including for the manner in which our investigations into the matter was undertaken.” She has condemned the misconduct toward another resident, known as Natalie. “For Natalie and her family, the sexual misconduct by a staff member is completely unacceptable, and I acknowledge the pain and trauma that has caused Natalie and her family,” Ms Robbs said.

“Our priority should have been to protect Natalie earlier.

“I offer this apology to both Natalie and her family with a full understanding that our delay in offering a genuine and human response was also unacceptable.” Ms Robbs is continuing to give evidence before the commission in relation to multiple abuse, mistreatment and neglect allegations at homes run by Life Without Barriers.

The organisation’s Director of Policy Reform and Business Development Stephen Doley appeared before the commission on Monday.

Mr Doley was the director of disability and aged care for NSW and the ACT at the time of the incidents in Lismore but was also questioned about the cases of residents in a Melbourne home…..

The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 December 2021, p1:

More than 1.9 million coronavirus case alerts have been issued in the Service NSW app over the past fortnight as end-of-year celebrations drive an upswing in the state's cases.

The alerts, issued between November 29 and December 13, include directions to monitor for symptoms, as well as to test and isolate as contacts of a case.

There have been several instances of all patrons at a hospitality venue being placed in isolation for a week as clusters linked to nightclubs and pubs threaten to push daily cases into the thousands by the end of the year…..

A NSW Health spokesperson said they were unable to confirm how many people were considered close contacts.

Half of Sydney's systemic Catholic schools elected to learn from home this week as families attempt to avoid being deemed a close contact before Christmas.

But hundreds of other families are awaiting their fate after their children were potentially exposed at school…..

Christine Rooke's daughter, who is too young to be vaccinated, caught COVID-19 on the last day of term at her eastern suburbs private school this month.

She tested positive on day six of her quarantine period so will spend the first 20 days of her holidays in isolation.

Ms Rooke says she hopes the rest of her family, all of whom are vaccinated, will avoid catching the virus. If they test positive, the clock on their isolation will be reset and they will be housebound until after Christmas.

"If none of us test positive, we could be out on the 19th. If any of us test positive now, we will miss it," she said.

"It's frustrating because we've been sold this story ... that we are going to live with COVID and life is going to get back to normal, but that isn't really the case."…..

Courier Mail, 13 December 2021, p5:

This week, police will embark on their biggest operation since the Commonwealth Games and the G20 summit – the reopening of Queensland.

Late on Sunday afternoon, stranded Queenslanders and travellers began to fill Tweed Heads, filling side streets, car parks and service stations, poised for the border to open at 1am.

Julie Aubrey and her family parked their caravan at a service station just 9km from the border, setting up camp chairs for the long wait.

Ms Aubrey travelled from Brisbane to Victoria in June to care for her sick mother-in-law. She passed in October, but Mr Aubrey couldn’t return because of hard border closures. “I haven’t seen my kids for six months, so that’s been tough. I just can’t wait to see them,” she said.

The borders have been closed to southern hotspots for the past 141 days, leaving families ripped apart, Queenslanders stranded and the tourism industry reeling.

The border has now been closed three times for a total of 435 days since the pandemic began.

But the long wait and the uncertainty is over.

FIFO dads will see their kids again – some meeting babies for the first time – grandparents will reunite with families, couples will celebrate homecomings and some locals will simply be allowed to go home.

Health authorities, including Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and new chief health officer Dr John Gerrard, have reassured Queenslanders there are no plans to shut the state down again.

Greeting the interstate arrivals at road checkpoints and airports will be officers from a 500-strong contingency, tasked with ensuring border openings today and vaccine mandates on Friday go smoothly.

The state’s top Covid cop, Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, said it was the biggest police operation since the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 G20 summit in Brisbane attended by world leaders, including then-US president Barack Obama.

“We could see up to 60,000 vehicles (crossing into Queensland) per day,” he said.

“The pandemic response has been by far the largest and most sustained major operation in QPS history but the anticipated numbers (of ­people) we will have to deal with when the border reopens will be significant.” Business and tourism leaders, along with long-suffering border residents, say the reopening has been a long time coming and there can be no more crippling closures.

“There’s enormous relief that the state government has held its nerve and stuck with the road map despite the emergence of the Omicron variant,” Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said.

“It should help rebuild shattered consumer confidence about travelling anywhere across borders.

“We have to learn to live with the virus and accept that it will spread in Queensland, but we can manage it.” Mr Gschwind said holiday bookings and inquiries had surged since the border reopening announcement.

He said the decision to reopen four days earlier than scheduled, after Queensland’s double dose vaccination hit 80 per cent last week, had reinforced confidence…..

Manning River Times, 10 December 2021, p3:

Health systems coping "at the moment" Local health systems, not just in the Mid Coast, but in other regional and rural areas around NSW, seem to be coping well at the moment, thanks to high vaccination rates in most areas. But it still wouldn't take much to tip the situation to a serious level, health workers say.

"The problem is things might seem to be going alright but then they can go pear shaped very, very fast," Dr Holliday said.

"I guess with small hospitals, and the Manning (Base Hospital) is really under funded, what will happen is that people will do their very best, but we don't have the capacity."

Paramedics and nursing staff in rural and regional areas keep saying there is a chronic staff shortage, and that the capacity of a hospital to deal with an increase in COVID cases will not come down to a lack of beds, but a lack of staff.

Tim McEwan, an Australian Paramedics Association delegate and working paramedic from Yamba, near Coffs Harbour, says that staff are "dead on their feet"

"It's been relentless. Not necessarily COVID related, just generally speaking," Mr McEwen said,

"What we're finding now is that both NSW Ambulance and the hospitals are struggling to staff their units.

"Even NSW ambulance can be two or three cars short each shift, and they just can't find paramedics to fill them. The casuals don't seem to be putting their hand up as much; certainly the full time staff are not putting their hands up for overtime.

"If the hospitals can't staff their wards, then the flow on is that the ED can't get their patients out of there onto the wards," Tim says…..