South Australia’s crippled health system is now akin to a ‘war zone’, clinicians claim

Amid record ambulance ramping and acute hospital bed shortages, SA’s crippled health system is now akin to a “war zone” that is putting patients’ lives at grave risk, clinicians claim.

South Australia’s crippled health system is now akin to a “war zone” that is putting patients’ lives at grave risk amid record ambulance ramping and acute hospital bed shortages, clinicians claim.

Concerned doctors and nurses have told of their despair at the mounting health crisis forcing more to practise “disaster medicine”, especially in emergency departments.

The state government has warned of “difficulties” until the end of next year despite spending to boost “capacity”.

But an emergency department doctor, who declined to be named, warned the system was “like a war zone”.

“Worse, it’s a whole of hospital problem,” they said.

“We’re practising disaster medicine. The ambulance ramping is the most visible symptom of an entire system going to fall over.

“It’s what you don’t see, such as the constant number of patients waiting for beds in the ED, that’s troubling.

“But you quickly see the amount of ambulances queuing inside them. It’s a sign our hospitals currently running at least 105 per cent capacity.

“There’s no flexibility and it’s not working.”

“The ambulance ramping is the most visible symptom of an entire system going to fall over,” an emergency department doctor, who wishes to remain unnamed, has said. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dean Martin

Sources claimed operations are being routinely cancelled each week while hospitals are planning budget cuts, although officials said any reduced spending was unlikely.

Shocked families also described witnessing patients lying or sitting on hospital floors due to a lack of seats.

An SA Health spokeswoman said last night: “As in all hospitals across the country, during times of increased demand there are occasions where some elective surgeries are required to be rescheduled.

“Our hardworking clinicians always prioritise treating the sickest patients first.”

The doctors and nurses unions said staff were increasingly stressed and fighting fatigue.

Despite Labor having promised before last year’s election to “fix the ramping crisis”, SA Health figures this week revealed the worst month on record in March.

Patients spent nearly 4000 hours waiting in ambulances.

Health Minister Chris Picton admitted on Thursday “there’s no way of spinning” the “bad result” that laid bare system pressures.

Clinicians said emergency departments are being clogged with patients unable to see their GP, fighting mental health problems or battling drug and alcohol addictions.

Authorities say people who can’t see a GP become sicker and end up in hospitals for longer, with more complex and health issues.

Insiders say metropolitan emergency areas are struggling with rising demand.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital emergency ward juggles 75 people a day for 30 available hospital beds. Dozens of patients are forced to wait at least a day for a bed, sources said.

By December next year, 150 emergency beds or bays will open across Adelaide and Mt Barker. Flinders Medical Centre this week opened 26 spaces.

An Adelaide mother, who sat with her ill daughter in the RAH’s ED for seven hours last month, was shocked at seeing patients waiting on the floor.

“If this occurred outside for all to see, just like ramping, maybe the real picture of the strain on our public hospitals would spark some action,” she said.

SA Salaried Medical Officers Association chief industrial officer, Bernadette Mulholland, said the “system is under enormous pressure” and warned of shortages particularly in doctor training.

“There is significant known fatigue, burnout and moral injury being experienced by our public doctors,” she said.

Patients spent nearly 4000 hours waiting in ambulances in March. Picture: Ambulance Employees Association

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA branch secretary, Elizabeth Dabars, called for nurses to be free to discharge patients.

“Senior nurses are leaving the health system for reasons including age, fatigue and better offers,” she said.

“They’re leaving younger, less experienced nurses to fill the void. This impacts health across the board, including ramping. The workforce simply is not there.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn called on the government to “step up and take responsibility” for a system they’ve controlled for 17 of the past 21 years.

“What’s most disappointing is that the seeming sense of urgency to fix ramping Labor appeared to have at the election has completely evaporated,” she said.

Mr Picton acknowledged the health system was “under unprecedented pressure”.

He said Labor was spending a record $2.4 billion for more beds, doctors, nurses and paramedics while building wards as well as ambulance stations.

“We remain resolute in the need to fix the ramping crisis by both significantly reducing ramping and improving ambulance response times,” he said.

New “rapid actions” to improve the flow of patients through emergency areas and reduce ramping were revealed this week while work continued on long-term measures.