Old RAH overflowing but new RAH won’t be able to cope with patient numbers, doctors, Opposition says
MORE than 800 patients were crammed into the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Monday, a figure that doctors say is “extraordinary” and puts patients at risk.
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MORE than 800 patients were crammed into the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Monday, a figure that doctors say is “extraordinary” and puts patients at risk.
As the RAH continues to deal with large volumes of patients today, doctors are urging the State Government to reverse hospital downgrades and closures across Adelaide or continue to risk patient safety.
A snapshot of the hospital’s inpatient activity dashboard at 10am Monday reveals a total of 801 beds were occupied and 20 patients were waiting for a bed.
SA Salaried Medical Officers Association president Dr David Pope said the numbers were “extraordinary” and labelled the new Royal Adelaide Hospital’s total bed capacity of 700 overnight beds and 100 days beds as simply “not enough”.
“We have a new hospital built too small based on wishful thinking,” he said.
“We won’t have enough capacity in the state to deliver the care to everyone that needs it and people will be stuck in corridors and waiting at the back of ambulances.”
Dr Pope said the State Government needed to urgently reverse hospital downgrades and closures as a matter of priority.
“They (the government) can easily solve this by reversing decisions to shut down the Repat, its plans to close down Hampstead and downgrade hospitals like Modbury,” he said.
“There also needs to be significant upgrade to the Noarlunga Hospital because the demand across metropolitan Adelaide is rising and its expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
“Why, when you build a hospital which is too small would you close what you’ve currently got to take some of that load?”
Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said the high volumes of patients at the current RAH highlighted the new hospital would struggle to cope with demand when it opens in September.
“The nRAH has all single patient rooms which makes it much less flexible in dealing with surges in patient demand than the current ward-based RAH,” he said.
“If the nRAH faces even greater patient numbers than it did yesterday they will be flowing out the front door and down North Terrace.
“Nor are inpatient bed numbers the only capacity issue facing the nRAH.”
A statement from a Central Adelaide Local Health Network spokesman said: “The new RAH will have 700 overnight and 100 day beds and increased capacity in the ED”.
“Even when the system is extremely busy, like it is today, the new hospital will have enough capacity to appropriately manage demand.”