Frequent flooding, leaking roofs: Embattled Port Pirie Hospital hit with building integrity issues

An embattled regional hospital is structurally unsound in parts and prone to frequent flooding from leaking roofs, putting patients, staff, visitors and sensitive records at risk.

An embattled regional hospital is structurally unsound in parts and prone to frequent flooding from leaking roofs, putting patients, staff, visitors and sensitive records at risk.

Leaked SA Health documents lay bare concerns with widespread structural problems at Port Pirie Hospital, including leaking roofs and walls, weakened ceilings as well as moving buildings.

With the under-fire hospital already subject of high-level reviews into morgue operations, medical chiefs insisted all “accessible parts” have been assessed safe for staff and patients.

But in the past year, dangerous flooding has compromised the emergency department, record storage, staff team rooms and corridor ceilings, internal records claim.

Patients’ records have also been damaged, specialist equipment exposed and fire detection systems set-off in flooded ceilings, papers reveal.

Whistleblowers, who declined to be named, said it was “not uncommon” for flooding to also hit main electrical switchboards while even light rains exposed problems.

The safety of the Community Health Building – located adjacent to the Mid-North hospital that is home to teams who work in Aboriginal and mental wellbeing areas – has also been questioned.

Flooding within Port Pirie Hospital in April 2023. Picture: SA Health

Flooding within Port Pirie Hospital in April 2023. Picture: SA Health

Metres of suspended ceiling failures have raised integrity concerns near the kiosk, pathology offices and executive suites from weakened internal poles that experts have refused to certify.

Staff reported the building is moving and the roof lowering. Engineers warned the hospital in 2017 and 2020 that orange terracotta roofing needed replacing to reduce weight imposed on ceiling beams, the documents show.

Problems were highlighted during an April storm when 10mm of rain fell, flooding several areas of the hospital, which was built in the 1970s.
Bosses have been warned poor infrastructure, blockages – particularly from pigeons – and deteriorating materials will spark more frequent flooding.

Staff fear problems similar to Adelaide’s Riverside Golf Club, where Johanna “Joek” Heynen, 70, and Marilyn McDougall, 54, died after a ceiling collapsed during a Ladies Day lunch at the West Lakes club in April 2002.

A collapsed roof at Riverside Golf Club, which crushed and killed two women and injured eight others in April 2002. Picture: Mike Burton

The state’s work safety watchdog, SafeWork SA, is understood to be aware of hospital issues.

Board papers show senior hospital executives formally briefed about “flooding incidents” to the local Yorke and Northern Local Health Network in July.

Minutes show officials were told “immediate issues are being worked through” while the board was contacting the council, local MPs and SA Health chiefs about the flooding concerns.

Sources, however, say the problems haven’t been fixed.

Health Minister Chris Picton, who this week ordered two high-level reviews of hospital mortuary operations – after a dead children “mix-up” and a woman’s body vaporising – said he was aware of a need to upgrade buildings.

“We recognised that improvements to Port Pirie Hospital needed to be made which is why we made an election commitment to deliver a $12 million upgrade at the site,” he said.

In a statement, the health network’s chief executive, Roger Kirchner, said the new emergency department included engineering works to “strengthen resilience to natural disasters”.

He said maintenance staff regularly inspect all service buildings while engineers and SafeWork SA were used as required. “All accessible parts of the hospital have been assessed as safe for staff and patients,” he said.

“Damage caused by severe weather events earlier in the year was rectified quickly to ensure service continuity.”

He said the community health building was one of the facility’s oldest.

“While it remains a safe area for staff to work in, background work is underway to assess alternative longer term options on site,” he said.

Originally published as Frequent flooding, leaking roofs: Embattled Port Pirie Hospital hit with building integrity issues