Hospitals face an exodus of stressed staff, warn medicos

The public backlash against failing hospitals could push key staff out of the system, experts warn, but it’s T-shirts that are chafing SA Health bosses.

Besieged public hospitals face a brain drain as fed-up frontline doctors walk away in frustration, officials warn.

An impending wave of nurse retirements will add to the challenge as emergency departments regularly try to deal with more patients than their official capacity.

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons state chairman David King praised the state government for promising more resources but warned such moves could take years and “we need something now to fill the void”.

Supplied Editorial Dr Michael Edmonds

“I’ve worked as a surgeon for 20 years in both the public and private system and I have to say things are really bad,” Dr King said.

“With Covid-19 taking a toll on doctors, we are having to tell people, virtually daily, that their surgery has been cancelled and it gets very wearing. People naturally get upset, some get angry – it’s a lot to put up with.

“There is concern people will become so stressed they will simply leave. They may not go interstate as there are similar problems there but they might decide to just work in the private sector.”

The state government this week again cancelled some elective surgery to try to ease pressure on metropolitan emergency departments, as well as leasing 28 private sector beds and transferring some low-acuity patients to peri-urban hospitals to free up metro beds.

The College has called for a review of the term “elective surgery” and its urgency categories.

It notes an elective procedure is not an optional procedure but is essential surgery to address often life-threatening conditions and conditions preventing patients from living a normal life because of severe pain or dysfunction.

Calling it “elective” can diminish its importance and be used to justify long waiting times, officials say.

Dr King also warned cancelling elective surgery and moving it to the private sector would affect the training of registrars.

Supplied Editorial SA Salaried Medical Officers Association protest T-shirts

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine SA faculty chairman Michael Edmonds said short-term measures were needed as well as dealing with “longstanding, systemic issues that have been identified for many years”.

“Immediate actions would include investment in supporting hospital flow, including a seven-day model that includes access to radiology, specialist and allied health consults, as well as to discharge support and options,” Dr Edmonds said.

“Improved flow from the ED to holding bays for people waiting for hospital beds and improved statewide co-ordination of interhospital transfers may further reduce access block.”

Meanwhile, the opposition has accused the government of hypocrisy for supporting ambulance officers daubing protest messages on ambulances prior to the election but allowing SA Health to block clinicians wearing protest T-shirts.

SA Health has taken the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association to the SA Employment Tribunal to ban the T-shirts.

Senior doctors have told The Advertiser that SA Health executives are furious that some T-shirts “take the mickey” out of slogans promoted by Central Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Lesley Dwyer.