South Australian ED doctors attack Transforming Health changes
A MODBURY Hospital emergency department doctor says the State Government’s controversial Transforming Health overhaul has led to an average of 10 patient transfers every day, putting people at unnecessary risk.
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A MODBURY Hospital emergency department doctor has bravely spoken out about a raft of major concerns following the State Government’s controversial Transforming Health overhaul which has led to an average of 10 patient transfers everyday, putting people at unnecessary risk.
Dr Jackie Davidson, director of Modbury Hospital’s ED, told a parliamentary committee meeting today clinicians were not adequately consulted about the changes, that they were rushed into implementing them and there was huge concern among staff because no one wants to work at the hospital anymore.
She was one of three emergency department heads, speaking of behalf of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, who reported on the progress of changes at the Lyell McEwin, Modbury and Royal Adelaide hospitals.
Their concerns come following changes at Modbury Hospital in March which saw the facility transformed from a general hospital to one that focuses on elective surgery and rehabilitation.
Now, patients requiring emergency surgery must bypass Modbury or be transferred to the Lyell McEwin.
Dr Davidson said there was “confusion” among the community over the changes because people did not know what hospital to attend.
She said it had led to an average of 10 patients requiring transfers from Modbury to the Lyell McEwin everyday.
“It’s too many,” she said.
Before Transforming Health, there was an average of just six transfers per day between the hospitals.
Dr Davidson said the State Government had “rushed” the entire Transforming Health process, that feedback from senior clinicians had been “ignored” and changes had been “made and implemented too quickly”.
She also said Modbury Hospital’s former ED head had resigned “because he felt he was unable to lead” his team under the changes.
Now, doctors are pushing the State Government to reinstate a “short-stay” facility at Modbury for patients requiring short-term help, which would result in at least two-to-three less transfers per day between hospitals.
Dr Davidson said the unit was “being considered”.
She also told the meeting Modbury Hospital was not an “attractive place to work” for doctors - and medical staff - due to the “uncertainty of its future” and called for the reinstatement of some general surgery services.
Speaking after the meeting, Opposition health spokesman Stephen Wade said the doctor’s concerns highlighted many major problems within the health system and labelled the government’s overhaul a “botched process”.
“A parliamentary committee heard today that the Modbury Hospital downgrade is putting patients in the North East under significant risk,” he said.
“The government rushed the implementation of Transforming Health - it failed to put into place the resources that clinicians needed, it failed to talk to them about the changes and did not effectively communicate with patients.”
Mr Wade said it was concerned about clinicians who were “working under extreme stress” at Modbury.
“They’re completely demoralised, they’re not getting the support they need in terms of short stay units, there’s not enough clinicians and they’re not recruiting to vacancies,” he said.
“There’s been an increasing demand at the same time that they are being forced to transfer patients who need emergency surgery.
“We’ve got people that even on a good day are experiencing 90 hour waits to be transferred from Modbury to the Lyell McEwin ... that must be extremely distressing for both the patients and the clinicians that are caring for them.”
In the meeting, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Jackie Hanson said the Transforming Health transition had been “successful” and quashed claims staff were not adequately consulted.
“There’s been constructive feedback received by staff with the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network,” she said.
“(We have conducted) ongoing engagement and consultation regarding service moves .... including ongoing staff forums, meetings and community forums.”
Ms Hanson said the changes between both hospitals “shouldn’t come as a surprise” to the community.
“(We are) tailoring its (Modbury) services to meet the needs of the ageing population in the North and Northern Eastern suburbs,” she said.
“Services for old people will be enhanced at Modbury Hospital in the areas of rehabilitation, aged care and palliative care.
“The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network has considered risk to patient safety ... (and) has the highest rank of safety learning system reported across any health service in South Australia.”