Children ‘waiting an hour’ as ramping hits Adelaide’s WCH for first time

Claims children were ramped in ambulances for the first time at WCH have raised new fears over the ability of SA’s health system to cope with a spike in Covid cases.

Seriously ill children were left waiting in parked ambulances — one allegedly for more than an hour — on Tuesday night as the Women’s and Children’s Hospital was hit with ramping for the first time, unions say.

Medical unions are outraged over ramping occurring at the WCH as workers in the health system brace for the onset of Covid in the community.

The Ambulance Employees Association posted photos of six ambulances lined up at the WCH at 8pm on Tuesday night waiting to discharge patients.

“Children should not be ramped,” the union said. “Tonight some were forced to ramp for over an hour.

“Our children are being harmed and our clinicians are suffering burnout.”

The doctors’ union sent officials to the hospital as complaints flowed about gridlock in the emergency department.

The SA Salaried Medical Officers Association said at one stage on Tuesday night “68 patients and 30 children” were in the waiting room at the emergency department which has capacity for 35 patients.

“What the hell is going on and what the hell is being done about it,” SASMOA officials said.

“At some stage hospital administrators and boards need to step up – you know what is happening.”

On our way in to Women’s and Children’s ED 68 patients and 30 children in waiting room. What the hell is going on and what the hell is being done about it. At some stage hospital administrators and Boards need to step up - you know what is happening. pic.twitter.com/NsD7qZE4xy

— SASMOA (@sasmoa4doctors) November 23, 2021

SASMOA later posted that the WCH has “the worst medically staffed Paediatric ED in the country.”

Shocking night at WCH. Lack of medical staff and space in the ED. We know the data demonstrates the WCH ED worst medically staffed Paediatric ED in the country. This will continue to happen at WCH if we don’t address staff shortages in the ED. #TimetoCarehttps://t.co/A7yNa7Iir4

— SASMOA (@sasmoa4doctors) November 23, 2021

At 8am on Wednesday pressure had eased with seven patients being treated in the 35 capacity ED and three waiting to be seen, although the average waiting time was 114 minutes.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas was planning to hold a press conference on the issue this morning with the warning that the “revelations fly in the face of Steven Marshall’s claims the hospital system is ready for Covid cases.”

It follows news earlier this month that almost 400 hospital workers had been stood down after they refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 – 125 of them were based at the Women’s and Children’s Health Network.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas described the situation as “quite simply appalling.”

“No child should be forced to ramp outside a hospital for more than an hour – if we cannot provide a health system which looks after our children, then something is horribly wrong,” he said.

“There is no excuse for this. Clinicians have been warning the government for a long time that the WCH is chronically under-resourced, and Steven Marshall and Stephen Wade have ignored these cries for help.

Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas with ambulance officers and health workers at Parliament House. Picture: Dean Martin

“Our hospital system is not coping right now – and that is without COVID-19. How will it cope when we start seeing positive cases in the next few weeks?”

WCH officials say of 33 paediatric ambulance arrivals on Tuesday night, one patient was seen ten minutes beyond clinically appropriate timeline.

They released a statement saying: “We are committed to delivering high quality care to our community and every child who presents to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department (PED) will always receive the care and treatment they need.

“The paediatric emergency department was busier than usual last night, with a significant amount of paediatric SAAS presentations received in a very short period.

“Additional staff, including doctors, were brought in to support the late and night shift to improve the flow of patients though the PED.

“Children and parents in non-life-threatening situations can be advised to use the Child and Adolescent Virtual Care Service to avoid hospital and receive medical advice in their home.

“This service is staffed by highly skilled paediatric emergency nurses and doctors who will assess the child and provide advice or referral to an appropriate service for ongoing care.

“Since the service opened on 30 August this year, it has seen 670 patients. Of these only 7 per cent were needed to be referred to the ED for review and assessment.”

Originally published as Children ‘waiting an hour’ as ramping hits Adelaide’s WCH for first time