Elective surgery “pause” lifted in the country, as long weekend starts

Elective surgery restrictions are being lifted in country hospitals but the metro remains besieged.

The “pause” on most elective surgery in metropolitan hospitals will drag on until at least Tuesday, as on Friday the city’s embattled emergency department system ran out of beds.

At 5pm clinicians in metropolitan hospital EDs were treating 331 patients, despite an official combined capacity of 317.

Restrictions on elective surgery in country hospitals were lifted from 5pm on Friday, but with no such surgery scheduled over the long weekend, procedures are not expected to get underway until Tuesday.

Another 82 cases were postponed on Friday, taking the total to 460 in the past week as the health system braces for the traditionally busy long weekend.

Despite hopes stress on EDs would ease as ward beds emptied of elective patients, at 5pm on Friday all EDs were near or above capacity.

Lyell McEwin was treating 76 people in its 59 capacity ED while at Queen Elizabeth Hospital clinicians were treating 34 patients in its 29-capacity ED.

Clogged EDs had 98 patients treated but waiting for a ward bed including 14 waiting more than 24 hours.

As the health system struggles and ramping hit a new record in May, there are claims an elderly woman was left for 10 hours in the Lyell McEwin Hospital waiting room while battling a serious respiratory infection.

The 84-year-old woman was left lying across chairs in the Lyell McEwin Hospital for 10 hours recently. Picture: Supplied

The 84-year-old woman – who wants to remain anonymous – told the Opposition she arrived at the ED around midday on Wednesday after her GP called an ambulance.

She said she had been suffering severe impacts from the flu, including coughing to the point of almost losing consciousness, and had lost about 4kg in 10 days.

Opposition deputy leader John Gardner said the woman was forced to lie down on chairs with only a rolled-up blanket to rest her head.

Deputy opposition leader John Gardner. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

“No one wants to see their elderly grandmother or mother forced to lie on chairs for ten hours without a pillow when they’re so ill and frail,” he said.

Health Minister Chris Picton said the claims were being investigated and noted hospitals are under stress.

“That’s why we are building hundreds of extra hospital beds this year and next,” he said.

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Karen Puvogel apologised to any patient experiences delay in the ED, noting people are prioritised according to clinical need and are continually monitored from arrival, with those requiring the most urgent care seen first.

“We have not been provided with the name of this patient and we do not have consent to comment on their situation,” she said.

“We are doing everything we can to create additional capacity at our hospitals. Work continues on 48 brand new inpatient beds at Lyell McEwin Hospital which are due to open later this year.

“A further 20 fast-tracked beds will be delivered next year at Lyell McEwin Hospital as part of a funding packaged announced this week at State Budget. At Modbury Hospital, a $117m investment will deliver an additional 24 mental health beds and 20 older person beds in 2025.”

SA Health chief executive Dr Robyn Lawrence said any elective cases postponed would be rescheduled and would not lose their place in the queue.

“They won’t go to the back of the list,” she said.

Meanwhile Premier Peter Malinauskas has been forced into making an embarrassing correction after claims he mislead parliament on Tuesday with a statement that “in the space of one week we had more Covid cases than the former government endured through the course of the entirety of 2021.”

Mr Gardner noted there were 12,597 Covid cases in SA in 2021, but less than 2500 cases for the last available week this year.

Mr Malinauskas returned to parliament on Thursday to correct the record, saying he should have used the word “almost” when referring to the entirety of 2021.