Surgery cancelled at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, patients transferred because of humid weather

EMERGENCY patients are being transferred and elective surgery has been cancelled at one of Adelaide’s major hospitals because of faulty airconditioning affected by ongoing humid weather.

16/01/15 - Government is closing emergency at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woodville. Photo Tom Huntley

EMERGENCY patients are being transferred and elective surgery has been cancelled at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital because of faulty air-conditioning affected by Adelaide’s ongoing spell of humid weather.

Sources have told The Advertiser poor air flow in the western-suburbs hospital has caused surgeries to be closed and elective lists cancelled for a second time in three weeks.

An administrator informed staff this week they were “waiting for the weather to improve” before elective surgery could begin again.

Hundreds of patients have been inconvenienced — many waiting hours at the hospital for treatment — before being told to go home.

A senior surgeon confirmed to The Advertiser some affected patients, including cancer sufferers, have travelled hundreds of kilometres to Adelaide only to be told their surgery was cancelled with no time rescheduled.

The issue of a malfunctioning airconditioning unit at the QEH is understood to have occurred in February when more than a hundred surgeries were cancelled.

QEH staff say the same problem occurred last summer but no solution was found then.

The surgeon said dehumidifiers had not worked and senior administrators had discussed bringing in other equipment to solve the problem but were told by SA Health the cost of about $250,000 was “too high”.

In a statement, Todd McEwan, chief operating officer, Central Adelaide Local Health Network said the “technical fault in the operating theatres airconditioning” had resulted in approximately 90 non-urgent elective surgery procedures being postponed this week.

“Technicians are currently on site working to rectify the issue. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank patients for their understanding,” the statement reads.

Category 1 elective surgery cases scheduled for Wednesday at the QEH have been transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Airconditioning in the emergency operating theatre is functioning and all emergency surgeries are going ahead.

Under its Transforming Health program and documentation the State Government has signalled that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will become the state’s answer to issues surrounding elective surgery delays.

Under the heading “More elective surgery and shorter waiting times” it says:

“Elective surgery is often postponed in our hospitals. That is why we are planning to provide a multi-day elective surgery centre, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. By establishing separate, dedicated streams for elective surgery, there will be fewer postponements, shorter waiting lists and better planned and managed care for you.”