88-year-old Colleen Billows stuck in RAH without bed for four days finally given room

Colleen Billows, 88, was stuck in the overflow area of the RAH for four days, with no windows, no TV and a unisex bathroom before she was finally given some good news.

A well-known elderly hospital volunteer who found herself stranded in the overflow area of the Royal Adelaide Hospital for four days has finally been given a bed.

Colleen Billows, 88, went into the RAH for an eye operation before the weekend but, as of Tuesday morning, was still in an overspill area with no windows, and a unisex bathroom she had to share.

After her son, Andrew, spoke to FIVEAA Radio about her ordeal and The Advertiser contacted SA Health on Tuesday morning, Ms Billows was given a hospital bed.

“I was in the overflow area where I was sharing with three men and we had no windows, no TV, we shared the bathroom and shared the toilet … it’s not on,” she told The Advertiser.

“Now, I’m 88 and I felt uncomfortable knowing that I could walk into a toilet and a male would be there.

Colleen Billows has finally been moved to her own room after being stuck in an overspill area of the RAH. Picture: File

“My kids said to me, ‘they’ve left you in the corridor Mum’.”

Despite the four-day ordeal in the overflow area of RAH, Ms Billows had nothing but “praise” for staff who she said worked hard under difficult circumstances.

“I want to praise the staff who work here because they really are under difficulty,” she said.

“A guy I talked to yesterday told me he walks a minimum of 15 kilometres a day pushing hospital beds around here.

“The staff here work their butts off and I cannot fault them.”

Central Adelaide Local Health Network Operations and Performance executive director Rachael Kay told The Advertiser Ms Billows had been moved to a private room on Tuesday after her operation.

“Following the procedure, she was transferred to a bed in a shared recovery area where she continued to receive appropriate clinical care across the weekend,” she said.

“Ms Billows has today (Tuesday) been moved to a private room to accommodate the remainder of her stay.”

Her comments came with a statement from CALHN that said the hospital had “specially designed shared clinical environments for recovery”. “It is common to have patients in this area when recovering from a procedure, over the weekend and at times of high pressure on the system,” the statement said.

Ms Billows is a much-loved Adelaide identity and was awarded the Medal of the Order for service to the community through charitable organisations, helping support families with seriously ill children for more than two decades.

She is also the widow of Western Hospital founding chairman Gordon Billows. The Henley Beach private hospital went into voluntary administration on January 29 but a buyer was found – to the great relief of Ms Billows.