Premier Peter Malinauskas defends health staff after Flinders Medical Centre arrival left on cold floor

The Premier has defended FMC health workers after a seriously ill woman was left on a cold waiting room floor for five hours due to a lack of emergency beds.

Premier Peter Malinauskas has defended hospital staff after a seriously sick woman spent five hours lying on the cold waiting room floor of the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department on Saturday night.

Mr Malinauskas said health workers were doing the best they could during “unprecedented circumstances”.

“There is no nurse, or no doctor, or no orderly that I’ve met that doesn’t have genuine care and compassion for their patients,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Thursday morning,

“They are doing their level best in the most unprecedented circumstances in the state’s health systems history.”

When the woman was finally seen she was eventually admitted for surgery the following afternoon, her sister told horrified friends on social media.

Mr Malinauskas shared their shock, labelling the incident “unacceptable”.

“We’ll try and find out exactly what happened and it could be any number of set of circumstances, but I’m not going to speculate because that wouldn’t be appropriate,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“It’s clearly and plainly not consistent with what we want to see.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said the disturbing photo highlighted the human cost of the state’s health system crisis, following The Advertiser’s revelation about grave concerns from doctors that “someone could die”.

“We have ambulances ramping, sick patients waiting hours on end for a hospital bed and exhausted doctors crying out for help in fear South Australians will die,” Mrs Hurn said.

“These bombshell reports have shed light on a health system in crisis and even doctors are saying the situation is the worse they’ve ever seen.

The family posted this picture (with flower graphic to protect the women’s identity) to facebook as they waited for an emergency bed. Picture: Facebook

“We need short-term solutions to free up emergency department capacity right now. It’s not good enough patients are left lying on the cold floor waiting for a bed.”

The photo comes as pressure on the Royal Adelaide Hospital was “the worst in history” with flu and Covid adding to the strain on the public system.

The SA Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA), was granted leave to inspect the site on Monday by SafeWork SA after staff complained overcrowding was creating safety hazards for staff and patients.

Senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland who has conducted multiple such visits at a variety of hospitals was appalled by what she found.

“This is the worst week we have ever had,” she said.

Ms Mulholland found a packed ED, waiting room and ramped ambulances as well as “exhausted” staff including administration staff.

An access logjam meant 53 of the 65 beds in the ED were occupied by patients who had been treated but were waiting for a ward bed or other appropriate accommodation, in turn stopping a smooth flow of new arrivals into the ED for treatment.

Ramping at Adelaide hospitals, including the RAH, the Modbury Hospital and Port Augusta Hospital on Thursday, July 22, 2020.

SASMOA is calling for a Royal Commission into ramping, while RAH clinicians are demanding a “transit lounge” be established as a holding bay for patients who have been treated and are waiting for a bed, instead of leaving them warehoused in the ED.

The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine is backing the call for a halfway house ward for treated patients in order to open EDs to new arrivals and ease ramping.

ACEM South Australia Faculty Chair Dr Michael Edmonds told The Advertiser the state’s healthcare system and emergency departments remain under extreme pressure, and addressing the multitude of issues being faced must be a priority.

“These pressures reflect longstanding, systemic issues that have been identified for many years, and are certainly exacerbated by the ongoing, significant number of Covid-19 cases, and the winter flu season,” he said.

“While it is important to fully understand to the issues documented over a number of years, both long and short-term action is needed.

“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.

“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. A focus on establishing reliable workforce across the system is required.”

Dr Edmonds said the College has welcomed good engagement and responsiveness from the new state government and recognises the early efforts made to implement long-term solutions.