Hospitals in meltdown: Computer system crashes as emergency departments overflow, prompting snap inspection at RAH

SA’s hospital system has hit new levels of chaos, with overflowing EDs, snap inspections by outraged doctors, and the computer network holding all patient records crashing.

SA Health’s key technology for patient records and emergency departments has crashed as chronic ramping and clogged EDs make this the worst Christmas on record for frontline clinicians, their union says.

Nine months after Labor won government promising to “fix” the health system, SA Health’s key technology on patient records and emergency departments froze as frontline workers juggled arrivals.

The statewide breakdown affecting thousands of staff and patients hit shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

Officials advised “The issue is being investigated,” before advising at 3.20pm on Thursday that the technology issues had been “resolved”.

“Earlier today, a technical issue impacted users ability to log onto the EMR system at our health sites, a SA Health statement says.

“The matter was being investigated urgently and the issue has now been resolved.

“During this time, users who were already logged on should have been able to continue their work. Others may have chosen to implement their Business Continuity Plan. No adverse events have so far been reported. The cause of the issue is still being determined.”

Lack of access to electronic patient records meant clinicians are unable to swiftly check crucial details as patients arrive – from allergies to past medications.

The pressure on hospitals, as reported by The Advertiser, has become so bad the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) called a snap safety inspection at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Wednesday.

It came as clinicians were dealing with almost 80 patients in the 69-capacity unit while ambulances queued to unload in 40C heat.

The majority of patients had been treated but were waiting for ward beds, some for more than 24 hours.

It also follows the bombshell resignation letter from the RAH head of ED Dr Megan Brooks, whose brutal letter to SA Health exposed pressure in the department.

Dr Megan Brooks lashed SA Health in a resignation letter in which she accuses the department of placing lives at risk while blaming clinicians who are doing their best. Picture: Mark Brake

Dr Brooks’ letter says the current state of the RAH emergency department “offends the very humanity” of doctors working there. She was medical lead for acute and urgent care at the RAH for a decade and helped steer the state’s largest emergency department through the depths of Covid.

Nine months after Labor cruised to an election victory vowing to “fix” ramping, SASMOA says frontline workers are under more stress than ever. SA Health’s online link to check waiting times at EDs was not working on Thursday.

SASMOA senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland called the inspection to check the safety of both staff and patients.

Never seen Christmas period like this before - was once a time where the health system got an opportunity to decompress - All hospitals under pressure. pic.twitter.com/BXArqlOsYU

— SASMOA (@sasmoa4doctors) December 27, 2022

Ms Mulholland warned complacency over “living with Covid” is backfiring on the health system.

“Pre-Covid, Christmas was the traditional time to ease back temporarily on some hospital services, to allow clinicians to spend much-needed time with their families and recharge. However, in the ‘living with Covid’ era there is increasing high demand on our hospitals even at Christmas,” Ms Mulholland said.

“The recent safety inspection at the RAH today demonstrated yet again there is insufficient beds to meet patient demand and insufficient staff due to furloughing because of Covid and other illness.

“The patients presenting are acutely unwell and Covid is thriving, placing increasing pressure on an already stretched hospital. It was hard to meet patient demand before Covid – if we don’t get additional beds and staff our hospital system and frontline health workers will not cope with the load.

“If the aim of SA is to ‘live with Covid’ together with other illness and disease and the heat this summer, then this will require planning and increasing more beds, frontline health workers and resources now.”

SASMOA chief industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland. Picture: Matt Loxton

If SA health and safety laws were more robust when hospital overcrowding and safety inspections identifying the issues began several years ago - we could have got hold of some of the known safety problems in our health system to protect health workers and patients. pic.twitter.com/KEfLSed1EW

— SASMOA (@sasmoa4doctors) December 27, 2022

Premier Peter Malinauskas said “it would take four full years” to be able to see the start of his plan to fix ramping.

“We’ve got a plan and we’re working towards delivering on that and that includes the biggest boost to resources in the health system that we’ve ever seen in the history of the state,” he said.

“The reality is that while we have employed a lot more doctors, opened a lot more beds, employed more nurses and got more ambos on the road and than ever before, we have a plan to dramatically escalate on that again.

“The reality is, like I said, doctors don’t grow on trees. So we’re in a recruitment phase at the moment, dramatically escalating the resources that we require to be able to service an ageing population when we’ve got a pandemic that’s still with us and the ramping crisis that we see throughout the country is confronting, but one that we have to take on.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said it was “deeply concerning” to see hospital EDs working over official capacity.

“Alarm bells should be ringing for the Malinauskas government with the situation so dire that urgent safety inspections are being called during what is traditionally the quieter summer period,” Ms Hurn said.

“Labor promised South Australians they’d fix ramping, but our health system is going backwards under Peter Malinauskas – delivering the worst levels of ramping in our state’s history, pushing our frontline workers to the brink, and continually testing the patience, even safety, of those in need.”