Health Minister Stephen Wade says fencing to shield ambulance patients will likely remain for months

TEMPORARY screens shielding patients being unloaded from ambulances at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are likely to remain in place for the rest of the year.

TEMPORARY screens shielding patients being unloaded from ambulances at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are likely to remain in place for the rest of the year.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade defended the screens, erected on Friday, as necessary to ensure patient privacy but he faces criticism that they are intended to cover up ambulance ramping.

Ambulances waiting in line to unload passengers at the hospital on North Tce previously parked facing away from the building, meaning patients were taken into the emergency department under the cover of the hospital awning.

Since late last year, paramedics have been asked to park facing towards the hospital to prevent diesel fumes from their running engines accumulating under the awning.

This leaves patients exposed to traffic and passers-by on North Tce and Port Rd.

Mr Wade said health authorities had tried to use exhaust fans to clear the fumes but this had not helped.

He could not say why the fences were only now being erected but said he had not been made aware of any complaints from patients.

Workmen put up fencing for modesty screens in the ambulance bay at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: Calum Robertson

Chief executive of SA Health’s Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Jenny Richter, who announced the decision to erect the fencing at 4.30pm on Thursday, said it followed complaints made by paramedics earlier this year.

Asked about the timing of the announcement, Mr Wade said he wasn’t consulted on it and conceded SA Health “could have handled this better”.

But he insisted the screens were necessary.

“It is unacceptable that traumatised patients are unloaded in full public view,” he said.

“This is not about hiding ambulances and it won’t hide ambulances. As long as we’ve got patients facing the road, we will need privacy measures.”

Mr Wade said SA Health was considering options for a permanent fix, which would likely involve remodelling the ambulance bay.

He estimated the solution would be found “within this year”.

Mr Wade said SA Health was considering options such as remodelling the ambulance bay.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton accused the Government of having “snuck out” its fence plan late on Thursday and argued the screens were designed to hide ambulance ramping.

“This is not about protecting patient privacy, this is about protecting politicians,” he said.

“The old hospital was accessible to North Tce as well and that never had a big fence put up in front of it.”

Mr Picton rejected suggestions that design flaws with the hospital – designed by the former Labor Government – were to blame or that a rebuild would be needed.

Instead, he said the Government needed a better plan to manage demand during winter so fewer ambulances were forced to ramp at the RAH.

Mr Wade said the Government had opened a new discharge lounge with room for 12 patients waiting to leave hospital, which would ease pressure on the emergency department.

He said health authorities were preparing to manage influenza cases this winter without about 100 beds at the now-closed Repatriation General Hospital.

“The most recent advice I’ve had ... is the rate of infection is similar to last year,” he said.

Latest figures showed the flu bug had led to 970 confirmed cases by early April this year, 110 cases more than over the same period last year. In 2017, there were a total of 27,838 cases.