Australia Weather News

Union members rallied outside the Launceston General Hospital to protest the lack of air conditioning within the hospital. (ABC News: Georgia Hogge)
The boss of one of Tasmania's main hospitals says permanently fixing air-conditioning woes in the medical and stroke wards would require beds to close and patients to be moved to other wards.
The Launceston General Hospital (LGH) has been plagued with bed block issues for years and now the north's main treating hospital is facing another challenge — sweltering temperatures on wards on the hospital's D-block.
The rooms in the north-facing D-block do not have air conditioning and room fans were taken out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as an infection control measure.
But it appears the "patch-work" solutions will continue, as a longer-term solution will cause "significant issues" at the hospital that is already under pressure.
The lack of air conditioning issue is not new — unions have been calling for improved temperature control for years — but Tasmania is in the middle of a heat wave and Launceston is experiencing a string of days above 30 degrees Celsius.
Concerned community members have told the ABC that patients are "sweltering" inside the wards and using cold face washers and kicking off blankets to stay cool.
The Health Department is trying to combat the rising temperatures by providing patients and staff with frozen treats, rostering on additional staff to allow for more staff breaks and installing more water and ice units.
Hospitals North chief executive Fiona Lieutier told ABC Mornings portable air-conditioning units were being trialled on the stroke ward.
"We know the [portable air-conditioning units] are making a difference," she said.
She said the hospital was also putting in additional heat-blocking blinds and looking at longer-term solutions.
"The longer term strategy will obviously be getting air flow more permanently into the rooms within D-block, but that then has the implications of needing to close wards or transition patients in and out of wards while works are done," Ms Lieutier said.
"Obviously in a working hospital, [that] does cause significant issues.
"We are assessing what other hospitals do in similar situations because it's not unique to Launceston."
The Tasmanian government recently spent $4 million installing 10 chiller units throughout corridors in the hospital to help with climate control.
The government has also released a master plan for a major redevelopment of the LGH but the majority of the works won't be completed until 2034.
"We do have a long-term master plan for the Launceston General Hospital and opportunities to improve the air-conditioning and the airflow will be incorporated into future projects identified in that master plan," Ms Lieutier said.
"Our facilities and engineering teams are working with external consultants to investigate a permanent long-term solution to this issue. This includes investigating the installation of new cooling vents into patients' rooms or outside rooms to provide additional airflow in affected areas."
'If beds need to close, that should happen'
The state secretary of Tasmania's Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) Robbie Moore said temperatures in rooms were dangerous and putting staff and patients at risk.
He said temperature checks in rooms on Monday showed temperatures of around 30 degrees.
"We need to see the Health Minister intervene and take control of this situation to ensure that no rooms are at the temperatures they currently are," Mr Moore said while meeting with staff and visitors outside the hospital on Monday.
"The bigger issue is that they could actually fix this issue but they would have to close beds to do so and because of the bed block and the demand in the Emergency Department, they can't.
"The reality is we can't have these unsafe events recurring, so if beds need to close, that should happen to ensure that we have a safe hospital that is properly equipped to ensure that we control the temperatures in the rooms of patients.
"We live in a developed country and we should not have a situation like this when patients have a room that is over 30 degrees, it's unsatisfactory."
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government was doing all it could to mitigate current circumstances.
"We have upgraded [air-conditioning] significantly over the course of the last number of years and will continue to do so," Mr Rockliff said.
If you have a general news tip or feedback, please contact us via this formABC