Shop Medical Supplies

Adult patients are being treated in the children's ward at one of Melbourne's busiest public hospitals due to a shortage of beds.

Southern Health has confirmed the situation, as the State and Federal Governments continue to argue about the funding model for state hospitals.

Health Minister David Davis says treating adults in a children's ward is against hospital policy.

"I understand that this might happen from time to time, but I understand the policy at Southern Health is not to have children with adults," he told.

"I've been given an undertaking that this won't be occurring."

Paul Gilbert from the Australian Nurses Federation says it is happening more often as a result of budget cuts which have led to a shortage of hospital beds.

"If someone needs to be treated and needs a bed, the policy of having a children's ward only for children will come to grief," he told ABC local radio.

"We don't that any child missed out on care as a consequence of that. [It's] not ideal.

"Until blame game is sorted out, these are consequences of having an underfunded system. And something has to give until all the current round of cuts is dealt with."

Public hospitals have closed beds and sacked staff in response a $107 million cut in federal funding to the state.

Mr Davis is meeting Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek on Friday do discuss the cuts.

"At the recent health ministers' conference all six health ministers made the point very clearly to the federal minister that none of [them] supported what the commonwealth had done." he said.

"To be fair to Ms Plibersek... I don't think she dreamed up this idea. I think it came out of federal treasury as a way of covering financial problems that the Federal Government has."

The Greens are calling for a Senate inquiry into the dispute.

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale says something must be done to stop the blame-game.

"I'm hopeful that we'll get support for it, out of the glare of the adversarial he said, she said, politics," he said.

Victorian firefighters are on alert once more as the state braces for an additional day and night of terribly high fire danger.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is warning that forecast hot and windy conditions will intensify two fires burning within the state's east.

A watch and act alert has been issued for residents of Harrietville and Hotham Heights for a fire burning close to Mount Feathertop, whereas an advice has been issued for 11 nearby cities. 

About hundreds of firefighters are on site today for the fire, which has burnt through concerning 1,300 hectares of land.

Tom Pelly from Mount Hotham Alpine Resort says everyone is on high alert with temperatures within the high 30s forecast for much of the state's east.

"If current winds continues and warms up a little bit, I think it's inevitable the fire will move slowly towards us or maybe even quickly," he said. 

"It's a bit of a waiting game. I was here in '03 and it was similar then." 

Another large blaze burning in Gippsland might also threaten communities stretching from glengarry through to Maffra later today.

The CFA's gary Weir says containment lines are strengthened for both fires.

"On both fires we got considerable extra line put in and back-burning," he said. 

Authorities are also disturbed concerning fires breaking out in different areas of the state.

They say the fire danger is particularly high around Castlemaine, Maryborough and Avoca, and between Horsham and Warrnambool. 

Country Fire Authority (CFA) deputy chief officer Steve Warrington, says there's a big risk of grass fires within the west.

"We've got hot, dry winds coming into the south-west, we've got high fuel loads, big grass, lots of dry forest in that particular area, and a late wind change," he said. 

Premier Ted Baillieu says communities should not be complacent, and says the fire danger rating is extremelyhigh across the state. 

"No one should be thinking this is just about the Aberfeldie or Gippsland or Harrietville in the Alpine areas," he said. 

“In western Victoria and south-western Victoria and central Victoria, there are very high to significant to severe fire risks." 

He then again warned would-be arsonists, saying police have arrested more than 20 people for separate incidents in recent weeks. 

"Victoria Police are out there," he said. 

"No-one, no-one, should be deliberately lighting a fire in open air on a day like this, and any arsonist runs the risk of lives being lost."

Fire danger within the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and southern ranges are anticipated to be extremely high and national parks, reserves, and state forests across the state will be closed as a preventive measure reports ABC News.

Premier Barry O'Farrell says recorded rainfall has created massive fuel loads, and combined with hot temperatures and high winds this has increased the danger of fire.