Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade says taxpayers risk bill for millions to rebuild small resuscitation rooms at RAH

A MAJOR and expensive rebuild of rooms at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital that treat some of the sickest patients could be needed, with the bill running into “millions of dollars” to fall on state taxpayers.

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A MAJOR and expensive rebuild of rooms at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital that treat some of the sickest patients could be needed, with the bill to fall on state taxpayers.

New Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade on Sunday said he had received briefings that raised major concerns about the adequacy of emergency department resuscitation rooms.

He said they were too small for clinicians and patients to adequately operate in, and trials were underway to try and overcome design flaws without the need for costly construction.

If they failed, Mr Wade said existing resuscitation rooms may need to be combined to make the working space larger.

However, that would reduce the overall patient capacity, he said.

An Opposition spokesman said Mr Wade was playing politics and resuscitation rooms at the RAH met Australian Healthcare Facility Guidelines.

“After consultation with clinicians, including by the former health minister, solutions are being executed by the department to relieve the concerns of clinicians,” the spokesman said.

“The Oppositon reminds Mr Wade he was sworn in as Health Minister on Thursday, and it is now his responsibility to get on with the job.

“It’s remarkable he appears more interested in playing politics than accepting the responsibility that is now invested in him.”

The spokesman said the fact these matters were publicly reported by The Advertiser “shows how ridiculous Stephen Wade’s assertions are”.

Under the public-private partnership model selected by the former Labor State Government, alterations to the $2.3 billion hospital’s basic design must be funded by taxpayers.

The private consortium is required to undertake basic maintenance, and other services.

Mr Wade said he understood the builder had followed government blueprints provided.

“SA taxpayers are at risk of a major rebuild at the emergency department,” he said.

“We are advised that the resuscitation rooms are not fit for purpose, which is a risk to both patients and to staff.

“There is not enough room for clinicians to be able to access critically unwell patients, and there are problems disposing with sharp objects and soiled equipment.”

Mr Wade said it would take one to three months to determine if workarounds were effective.

“One of the options is to combine two resuscitation rooms into one,” he said.

“Obviously it would be a substantial cost to the taxpayer and a significant disruption to patients and staff.

“That would mean that we would lose one third of our resuscitation room capacity.

“The resuscitation cases are the sickest of the sick. We need to make sure that this hospital is fit for purpose, fit for whatever comes through the door. It’s very important this be fixed”.

Mr Wade said the cost of any rebuild would run into “millions of dollars to taxpayers”.

Mr Wade also called out former health minister and presumptive new Labor leader Peter Malinauskas, who he said had “fobbed off” concerns raised under his tenure.

Mr Wade said Labor was not “upfront with the people of SA” and must explain its lack of action.

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