Hospital patients unable to return to storm hit homes

Keira Jenkins | December 30, 2023

With beds scarce, a major Queensland health service has been forced to send recovering hospital patients into hotel accommodation rather than discharge them to storm damaged homes without water or power.

The measure has been extended to “specific cohorts of patients” who are ready to leave care but also waiting for their essential services to be restored, Gold Coast Health told AAP.

Storms have lashed southeast Queensland, claiming the lives of seven people since Christmas and leaving more than 100,000 residents without power.

More than 40,000 of them had still not been reconnected to the electricity grid as of Friday, with the region in the grip of a heatwave and facing a fresh round of severe wet weather.

“Some of these patients require lifesaving powered medical devices to manage their health conditions at home,” the health service said in a statement.

“In cases where these patients don’t have access to suitable alternative accommodation such as family or friends, Gold Coast Health works with other departments and our partners to support these patients with interim solutions; this can include temporary hotel accommodation.

“Importantly, this creates bed capacity for patients who require hospital care.”

Brisbane and Gold Coast residents are readying for another storm battering with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of severe weather along Australia’s east coast.

Dangerous thunderstorms are predicted for southeast Queensland, expected to bring flash flooding and destructive winds.

The NSW north coast is also expected to endure isolated and possibly severe thunderstorms.

Meteorologist Johnathan How said it may be a wet start to the new year for coastal residents.

“We do see another area of low pressure developing over eastern Australia and that will continue to drag moisture all the way into the southeast of the country,” he said.

Five homes were destroyed during Christmas Day storms that ravaged the Gold Coast.

NSW and Victoria also experienced wild weather, with three people killed in storm-related incidents on Boxing Day.