QEH worker claims ‘irresponsible’ staff party became superspreader event during SA’s Covid wave

The state’s health minister has weighed in after 50 emergency department staff went to a party a furious colleague called a Covid superspreader event.

A Queen Elizabeth Hospital employee has claimed a “reckless” staff party during SA’s latest Covid wave put additional pressure on the hospital’s already short-staffed emergency department.

The worker, who requested anonymity, slammed their colleagues’ behaviour as “irresponsible”, but the state’s health minister has defended the party and SA Health denies it was a superspreader event.

The worker claims more than 50 nurses and doctors working across the QEH and RAH emergency departments, along with partners, attended a ‘Christmas in July’ party at the Astor Hotel on Pulteney Street and, later, the Woolshed on Hindley Street on July 29 – 10 days after modelling showed SA hit its Covid peak.

A video was shared to social media of the event, with the caption: “This is how we party in ED”.

The anonymous colleague claims 10 ED staff have since contracted Covid, with a number of others waiting on PCR results.

QEH emergency department staff celebrating Christmas in July at the Astor Hotel.

An anonymous worker says more than 50 ED staff attended the event.

They said they were “completely disgusted by the risk they have taken” during a time where the hospital was “short-staffed and overwhelmed with patients”.

“I know they could have caught it anywhere, but to have nurses and doctors from one department during a Covid surge all go out at the same time, mingling with the public is reckless,” they said.

“I know they are overworked and short-staffed, but now they have made the situation worse for their colleagues who did the right thing and didn‘t attend.”

A spokesperson from the Central Adelaide Local Health Network denied there had been an increase in staff Covid cases at the QEH after the gathering and said furlough numbers were trending down.

The staff member says patients could face further delays in the already short-staffed ED as a result of Covid furloughs. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dean Martin

“While there is currently no public activity restrictions in place, we recognise that our staff will socialise together and we trust them to use good judgment outside of working hours.

“Our staff have done an incredible job during the pandemic and we thank them for all their continued hard work.”

Health Minister Chris Picton also defended the healthcare workers, saying they had “done nothing wrong”.

“There’s no lockdown, no hospitality restrictions and no gathering limits – so doctors and nurses have every right to go to a pub just like journalists, politicians and public servants do,” Mr Picton said.

“The rate of Covid-positive staff at the QEH is no different than the other hospitals.

“It’s completely unreasonable to expect doctors and nurses to be hermits and never socialise when they have finished their very difficult shifts.”

However, the anonymous worker said their colleagues’ actions had “impacted the department” and feared ED wait times could be affected.

“Most of us are incredibly stressed and burnt-out, missing breaks, working double shifts and staying late. I want my colleagues to have fun and relax, but this is just irresponsible during this time,” they said.

“I’m just really sick of working short-staffed, particularly with hardly any senior nurses.

“(Patients) will probably have to wait longer because there aren’t enough staff to cover the shortfall.”

SA Health is scrambling to find more beds as staff threaten to walk away from the state’s besieged public hospital system.

Last month, more than 20 Royal Adelaide Hospital ED doctors wore protest T-shirts with slogans such as “hospital overcrowding harms you and me” and “we need space to keep you safe”.

Originally published as QEH worker claims ‘irresponsible’ staff party became superspreader event during SA’s Covid wave