Dr. Vida Hamilton:

The Senator is absolutely correct. We are in surge capacity and, therefore, we have to deploy different methods of staffing to ensure best care. Our critical care nurse escalation plan is in place. We trained 1,600 non-critical care staff to support critical care services. We deployed them in a one-to-one ratio working directly with a critical care nurse in a buddy arrangement in the first instance. Then, as we entered surge, we had one critical care nurse supervising two, and then three, non-critical care nurses but maintaining a nurse-patient ratio of one-to-one for optimal safety. We have a daily critical care major surge working group with very close engagement with the National Office of Clinical Audit, NOCA, which is monitoring occupancy and staffing levels. We have daily contact with units that are not declaring capacity to ensure they have arrangements in place for further emergency admissions and we are very actively managing that situation. As to whether the care is of the same standard, the answer is "No".