The emergency department capacity problems that force paramedics to wait with patients until beds become available, known as bed block, have plagued Wagga Base Hospital for years and were on full display this week. At the peak of bed block issues on Monday night, eight ambulances were forced to park outside the hospital – taking them away from being able to respond to other emergencies.

On Monday, 117 people presented at the emergency department, with 55 arriving between 2pm and 10pm.

That included eight critically ill patients who arrived within a short timeframe and placed a high demand on critical care beds, according to Murrumbidgee Local Health District acting operations director Carla Bailey.

“Seriously ill patients will always be the priority and may mean that those with less serious conditions may need to wait regardless of whether they arrive by ambulance or via the emergency department waiting room,” Ms Bailey said.

Ms Bailey said the hospital had a demand management strategy in place to ensure resources were appropriately allocated during high volume periods. “Staffing resources have been increased to assist in managing the winter demand,” she said.

Bed block issues have plagued Wagga Base Hospital and, despite various pledges over the years from hospital management, they continue to plague its emergency department.

Former Gundagai-based paramedic Gary Wilson, now the secretary of the Australian Paramedics Association, estimates the problem has been going on for more than 15 years.

“Unfortunately the ambulance service has no control over resourcing hospitals, which is where a large part of the problem is,” he said.

When bed block occurs at Wagga Base, it ties up not only ambulances based in the city, but those based in outlying towns which are called up to cover the shortfall.

“(On Monday) night, there were ambulances not just from Wagga, but from a lot of smaller surrounding communities, which only have one crew on call,” Mr Wilson said.