Health Minister Stephen Wade confirms SA Health safety fears over Modbury Hospital plan

SENIOR health bureaucrats warned the incoming new State Government that its plan for a stand-alone high dependency unit at Modbury Hospital could put patients at risk.

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SENIOR health bureaucrats warned the incoming State Government that its pledge for a stand-alone high dependency unit at Modbury Hospital could put patients at risk.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade has provided a written answer to State Parliament confirming that he has “received advice from SA Health indicating in the absence of establishing a new intensive care unit at Modbury Hospital, appropriate levels of clinical safety may not be achieved with the establishment of a stand-alone high dependency unit”.

Parliament was told without a new intensive care unit at Modbury Hospital, appropriate levels of clinical safety may not be achieved by establishing a stand-alone high dependency unit.

The Opposition has leapt on the answer as confirmation of its pre-election claims that a stand-alone HDU would be unsafe, as patients would have to be transferred to other hospitals with ICU facilities when their condition deteriorated.

Mr Wade told The Advertiser the advice was contained in an incoming briefing and the Government was working to ensure its key election commitment to return services to the hospital could be delivered.

“We certainly believe that it will address safety issues,” he said.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade

“What was in the incoming brief wasn’t news, because the bureaucracy had been arguing that on behalf of the (former) government for months. Restoration of an HDU is the foundation for the increase of services at the Modbury Hospital.”

Opposition assistant health spokesman and northern suburbs MP Blair Boyer said the Government had attempted to “hoodwink” voters with a policy that experts long argued could not be safely delivered.

“Labor didn’t support it because we were told that it was not safe,” he said.

“We support extra services into the hospital, and were the first to come out with a $90 million plan. An HDU was not a matter of money, but safety, and we’ve been proven right.”

Australian Medical Association SA President William Tam said it may be possible to safely increase the complexity of services at the hospital, as part of a system-wide rejig, without the need to also add an ICU to stand-alone HDU.