Elective surgeries have been deferred at some of Melbourne’s largest hospitals as staff shortages put pressure on already busy services.
The Alfred has paused elective surgeries for a week because a high number of key clinical staff are off sick due to COVID-19.
AAP has been told it’s the hospital’s highest level of staff sick leave since early 2022.
But all emergency surgery at The Alfred is continuing, with the hospital responding to an increase in trauma cases.
“We apologise to all patients affected by this difficult situation,” a spokesperson for The Alfred told AAP in a statement.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly. This change is necessary to ensure we maintain capacity to continue to care for patients in our hospitals and those who arrive needing lifesaving emergency surgery.”…