Top staff quit key ED roles as ambo response times dive

Key emergency department doctors have stood down from leadership roles at the RAH and Flinders Medical Centre, as ambulance ramping continues to spiral out of control.

SA Health has been rocked by the bombshell decision by leaders in its two busiest emergency departments to step down from director roles, as the system grapples with record ramping and clogged EDs.

Joint directors of the Royal Adelaide Hospital ED, Dr Christopher Hercus and Dr Katrina Romualdez both have decided not to renew their positions, following a similar decision by Flinders Medical Centre ED director Dr Matthew Wright.

All will continue working in SA Health.

Both EDs are chronically clogged, regularly working at above official capacity as ramped ambulances queue in busy periods.

The mental as well as physical toll on frontline RAH clinicians was summed up by one when the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) did a safety audit, saying: “Staff are f***ing broken.”

SASMOA chief industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland noted the stressful job making life-and-death decisions takes a huge mental toll.

“You are holding all the risk and responsibility, it really does take a toll on your health and wellbeing, and on work-life balance and relationships,” she said.

“You are dealing with access block, ramping, full waiting rooms, it is often unwinnable decisions and you hold all the risk.

“It is a really hard job and anyone thinking of taking it has to look at the lack of support for these roles.”

SASMOA chief industrial officer, Bernadette Mulholland. Picture: Matt Loxton.

Dr Katrina Romualdez leaves the Coroners Court after giving evidence into the ramping deaths of three people. Picture: Mark Brake

Dr Romualdez has given evidence in the ongoing inquest investigating the deaths of Anna Vincenza Panella, 76, Bernard Anthony Skeffington, 89, and Graham Henry Jessett, 64, who all suffered medical complications after being ramped for extended periods.

She told the inquest ramping was “unrelenting”.

“We also deal with the stress of not knowing how sick our patients are who are on the ramp and can’t get in,” she said. “The stress of dealing with the unknown on that takes its toll on staff.”

Dr Matthew Wright pictured leaving the Coroners Court after giving evidence. Picture: RoyVPhotography

Dr Wright also has given evidence at the inquest, saying ramping is “a failed paradigm.”

SA Health officials thanked all three doctors for their service. FMC has appointed an interim head of unit, while the RAH will appoint an interim head of unit “while our permanent recruitment process is finalised.”

Meanwhile Labor’s promise to “fix” ramping has taken another hit with new figures showing a drop in on-time ambulance responses to the most critical emergency calls for the fifth consecutive month.

Priority one calls have a target of attending within eight minutes in the metropolitan area.

However, since March those response times have been on a downward spiral, and in August just two-thirds of such calls made the target despite the massive amounts of money being poured into the health system.

Originally published as Top staff quit key ED roles as ambo response times dive