Overcrowding at Lyell McEwin emergency department for one week straight putting patients at risk, doctors say

CHRONIC overcrowding at the Lyell McEwin Hospital’s emergency department will provide “absolutely catastrophic” conditions if annual winter flu cases skyrocket, doctors say.

CHRONIC overcrowding at the Lyell McEwin Hospital’s emergency department will see “absolutely catastrophic” conditions if annual winter flu cases skyrocket as the facility struggles with a lack of beds and space, doctors say.

The fresh concerns come as new analysis by Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade reveals the hospital’s ED has been running on Code White, or at-capacity, for various periods each day for more than one week and in one case, for up to 13 hours.

Every day from Monday, February 6 to Tuesday this week, the data shows the ED has recorded at least one period when beds and treatment bays were full. The hospital was also on Code White on Wednesday morning.

The State Government says a surge across all major hospital’s can be attributed to last week’s extreme heat when temperatures hit over 40C.

Worsening conditions following the downgrade of Modbury Hospital’s ED under Transforming Health has prompted doctors and the Opposition to call on the State Government to reinstate services to serve patients in the growing northern suburbs.

SA Salaried Medical Officers Association president Dr David Pope said conditions had worsened.

“There is no space to properly assess patients — that’s quite dangerous,” he said.

“Short cuts are taken, diagnoses can easily be missed and that’s generally how people come to harm when serious medical problems are not recognised and they’re sent home inappropriately.”

Dr Pope said Modbury Hospital’s ED no longer accepted “complex cases”, which had led to the surge at the Lyell McEwin and called on the State Government to reverse its decision.

“A bad flu season (would be) absolutely catastrophic,” he said.

“You’ve got people who could be saved with medical treatment who may die because there’s just simply not the capacity to deal with the number of patients that are sick.”

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network chief operating officer Scott McMullen said the hospital may increase its ED capacity in the future.

“We have also put on additional staff and we are scoping the possibility of increasing the size of the ED in response to the growing population,” he said.

“Despite seeing 500 more patients in January this year compared to January 2016, the time people are spending in ED has been reduced by more than 11 minutes.”

Mr Wade blamed the overcrowding on last year’s Modbury ED downgrade and forecast the situation will worsen.

“The downgrading of the Modbury has seen thousands of patients being diverted to Lyell McEwin without any increase in the capacity of its ED,” he said.

“Things will get much worse if Labor pushes ahead with its plan to transfer additional specialities services from Central Adelaide to the Lyell McEwin Hospital later this month without providing any additional beds.”