Growing pressure on the emergency department as well as handling COVID patients has forced Grampians Health to declare a code yellow and discourage non-urgent patients from attending the ED.
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In a statement late on Thursday, Grampians Health issued the advice that it would prioritise urgent cases at the Ballarat Base Hospital as pressure continued to grow.
Australian Community Media has previously reported that numbers presenting at the ED have now climbed back to pre-COVID levels and are at all time highs.
The combination of factors also hit the hospital in January when Victorian health officials declared a state-wide pandemic 'Code Brown' that included Ballarat Base Hospital.
It is unknown weather the code yellow will impact health services in Horsham, Edenhope or Stawell.
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That directive was triggered by the combined and crippling pressures created by wide-scale staff shortages across the state's health system and record-high COVID-hospitalisations and involved reconfiguring resources to meet urgent needs and redistributing COVID cases between hospitals.
But the latest declaration appears to be centred around pressure on the Emergency Department and the need for non-urgent patients to find other alternatives for care.
"We urge members of our community to carefully consider your health care needs," the statement from Grampians Health read.
"The Code Yellow means we will focus staffing on the most urgent areas of care and service delivery. We will still be able to maintain care for those who need it and for our existing patients.
"If you are unwell, we advise discussion with your GP as soon as possible in order to avoid the need to attend the hospital emergency department. This will help us care for those who most need emergency support and potentially a hospital bed."
Grampians Health thanked the community for its patience and and understanding of the difficult circumstances.
Visitor guidelines and times will continue as per current rules but Grampians Health warned this could change as the circumstances develop.
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