Helen Watson, 94, handballed from RAH to Modbury in taxi

The 94-year-old woman spent hours ramped with broken bones, her family says, before the RAH shunted her to a northern suburbs hospital in “excruciating” fashion.

The furious family of an Adelaide great grandmother Helen Watson who was ramped with a broken pelvis, then shunted between hospitals in an access cab, say the health system is far from fixed.

Mrs Watson, 94, suffered a broken pelvis in a fall at home and called for help using her MedicAlert bracelet.

Her family said she was ramped at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for five hours on September 14 until 2.30am, although officials say it was about half that length of time.

Then on Monday her family received a call saying she would be moved to Modbury Hospital “in the next couple of days”.

However “within an hour“ her children received a text from her saying she was in a taxi in excruciating pain, and had left some things at the RAH.

Her granddaughter Melanie Lavis told The Advertiser she had lost faith in the health system.

Adelaide great grandmother Helen Watson with granddaughter Melanie Lavis. Picture Melanie Lavis

Adelaide great grandmother Helen Watson with great grandsons Hudson and Beau. Picture: Melanie Lavis

“This is South Australia, not the Third World — bundling a 94-year-old woman with multiple pelvic breaks into a taxi instead of an ambulance is just not acceptable,” she said.

“She was in excruciating pain during the 35 minute drive, was confused about what was happening to her. She is deaf which is another factor.”

The family had asked that she be moved to Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre but was told she was “not in the catchment”.

“She lives at Broadview, — you can literally walk from there but somehow she is not in the catchment? It is just not right,” Ms Lavis said.

“The government went to the election saying they were going to fix the health system but clearly it is a long way from being fixed.

“They deemed her clinically OK to move but at 94, deaf and with pelvic breaks in several places I was just blown away to learn they had put her in an access cab.”

Mrs Watson is still in Modbury Hospital.

Ms Lavis said the ambulance and nursing staff had been exemplary and was speaking publicly to try to get them more staffing support.

Health Minister Chris Picton has reviewed the case and said Mrs Watson was transported in a taxi because the medical staff deemed their patient able to move.

“The report that I’ve had from SA Health at this stage is that was a decision made by the clinicians, by the doctors and nurses based on their assessment of the patient,” Mr Picton said.

Ms Lavis disagreed and said that if more ambulances were available, the option of the taxi would never have come up.

“Obviously, the resources are just so tight that they’re making decisions that are wrong,” she added. “It’s horrible … something has to change.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said: “This is the real-life impact of record ramping under Labor and it’s just not good enough.

“South Australians like the family of Mrs Watson are sick and tired of the excuses from the government, they want the Premier and Labor to roll up their sleeves and fix ramping like they promised at the election.”