Box Hill Hospital’s patient tents likened to ‘Guantanamo Bay’

Box Hill Hospital’s overflow tents were likened to Guantanamo Bay — but the Health Minister says she is satisfied with the care for patients.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas says she believes patients at Box Hill Hospital received an “appropriate” level of care as they faced long waits and shelter in makeshift tents outside.

Ms Thomas on Sunday addressed the concerns over the health system in Melbourne’s east after tents were erected outside to host some patients.

Troubling reports emerged of a teenage cancer sleeping in a hallway because there were no beds while the family of a stroke patient expressed concerns about their mother being moved into one of the tents.

“I was concerned about what I’d heard was happening at Box Hill Hospital so I did make inquiries in relation to specific incidents,” she said.

“I want to acknowledge the discomfort that was experienced by the two patients at the hospital at that time.

— Have you had a similarly lengthy wait at Box Hill or other emergency department? Share your story with us

A tent outside Box Hill Hospital for patient overflow. Picture: David Crosling

“But I am satisfied with the responses that I’ve received that patients were receiving appropriate care even while there was some discomfort being experienced by them.”

Ms Thomas said every patient arriving at hospital was assessed on how urgent their case was before decisions were made about where to place them.

“Clearly, Category 1 and Category 2 cases that present to our emergency departments are treated with the highest priority.

“Indeed I was very pleased to see that our Category 1 presentations to our emergency departments, 100 per cent of them, are being treated appropriately and on time.

“So I don’t want to take away at all from the discomfort that our patients may experience.

“It can be really frustrating and uncomfortable waiting at an emergency department. That’s why we’re offering more choices to Victorians, more avenues to have their healthcare attended to.”

Shock scenes at Box Hill Hospital

Alarming photos exposing the dire state of Box Hill Hospital have emerged on social media as Victoria’s health crisis continues.

Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan on Wednesday night tweeted photos of a teenage cancer patient having to sit in a hallway and sleep on waiting chairs because the hospital, operated by Eastern Health, had “nowhere” to put him.

The mother of the teenage boy is a friend of Milligan’s and shared the photos hoping to draw more attention to “what patients and staff are enduring”.

“Call just now from my sobbing friend,” Milligan posted.

“Her teen son just finished 6 months of chemo for cancer.

“He’s waited 27 hours in (a) draughty hallway … nurse just fell on floor in tears.”

“My friend says the nurse and doctor have been “beautiful” but they have nowhere to put her boy.”

The boy was not offered food, Milligan added.

He was forced to huddle on chairs with a blanket for warmth. Picture: Twitter/Louise Milligan

A teenage boy endured a lengthy 27-hour wait for a bed at Eastern Health. Picture: Twitter/Louise Milligan

She also reported his mother sent a message to local MP Paul Hamer but didn’t get a response.

“It’s been an incredibly stressful and painful time but this she just can’t believe,” Milligan said.

“She hopes it exposes exactly what patients and staff are enduring.”

It is understood that after the contact was raised with Mr Hamer by his staff, he offered to speak with her directly and also passed on contacts for Eastern Health.

He then raised the issue with the health minister’s office and with Eastern Health.

Former 7News reporter Jacqui Felgate also highlighted the crisis, sharing an unsettling message from a family member of a Box Hill stroke patient to Instagram.

The message claims a paramedic remained at the hospital “helping empty urinals”.

“My mother ... came into Box Hill ED (emergency department) at 4pm via ambulance with a stroke,” the message said.

“We have been upgraded from the corridors to tent outside.

Another Victorian revealed the makeshift beds at Box Hill Hospital. Picture: Instagram/Jacqui Felgate

“At 10pm they finally agreed to scan her.

“Our very kind paramedic is here helping empty urinals instead of being back out on the road.”

The daughter of the 83-year-old stroke patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Herald Sun she was shocked her mother had been “upgraded” to a tent after waiting in the corridor following a “category one emergency”.

“Because she had returned to somewhat normal from the stroke, (the hospital) wanted to send her back home and I said that I wasn’t comfortable with that and I spoke to the paramedic about that,” she said.

“And the paramedic said I would not let your mum go home without a scan.

“He said he can still physically see she’s had a stroke.”

The stroke patient wanted her daughter to speak to media to bring more attention to the crisis.

Paramedics likened the make-do tent in the emergency department to “Guantanamo Bay”, she said.

She has called on members of parliament to be more empathetic, arguing the government should worry less about infrastructure and more about hospitals.

An 83-year-old woman was ‘upgraded’ to a tent after spending hours in the hospital corridor.

“My mother’s worked all her life. She has been a taxpayer and at 83 this is what we’ve come to.

“It’s not acceptable.

“Ask yourself, if this was your mother, your grandmother, are you comfortable with her being in a tent outside?

“She’s had a stroke or category one emergency. Worry less about building more roads and build some hospitals.”

A Box Hill Hospital staff member on a break told the Herald Sun all of the hospital’s beds were occupied and that it had been chaotic for “the last couple of years”.

The staff member, who works in the emergency department occasionally, said he had heard previously of patients waiting more than 24 hours for a bed.

Liberal candidate for Box Hill Nicole Ta-Ei Werner was also outside the emergency department on Thursday, declaring the ordeal at the hospital was proof the government needed to redirect funds committed to the Suburban Rail Loop to fixing the health crisis.

“I’m a local to this area, was born in this hospital and it’s really, really important to me,” Ms Werner said.

“I’ve had, for many months now, heard all of the challenges that both healthcare workers and people who are trying to gain access to the hospital have faced.

Paramedics have likened the make-do tent in the emergency department to ‘Guantanamo Bay’. Picture: David Crosling

“And so we have to we have to look at it. We have to redirect that funding directly to hospitals like this and others so that we can fix the healthcare crisis.”

Ms Werner also hit out at incumbent Labor member for Box Hill Paul Hamer, who reportedly saw a message from the mother of the teenage cancer patient but did not respond.

“As an elected representative, your role, your mandate, your purpose is to serve the people in your community,” Ms Werner said.

“So if you’re not doing that, you’re not doing good enough.”

It comes as the state’s health crisis continues to boil, with the number of patients on the elective surgery waitlist surging towards 90,000 – a 30 per cent increase on September last year.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she was aware of the issues at Box Hill but had not yet been fully briefed.

“One of the other additional challenges that our emergency departments have been facing, of course, is as a consequence of deferred care during the pandemic,” she said.

Ms Thomas accused the previous federal government of not investing enough in training general practitioners.

“What that has meant is that people have not been receiving the primary care that they need during the pandemic and as a consequence are presenting sicker to hospital,” she said.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas and Premier Daniel Andrews say it’s up to others to decide if the health crisis is driven by mismanagement from the state government. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

When asked about the strain on the hospital system, Premier Daniel Andrews said it was hard to provide a timeframe for when people would stop facing lengthy delays accessing care.

“It is incredibly difficult to put a precise date on that,’ he said.

“This is an unpredictable time, this is an uncertain time.

“This virus (Covid) changes. It is particularly good at continuing to change so that it can affect more and more people.”

Mr Andrews said it was up to others to decide if the crisis in health was driven by mismanagement from the state government, but pointed to investments increasing the total workforce.

“No one’s ever going to call time and say well this is just perfect,” he said.

“Every day is about innovation, Every day is about doing more.

“Every day is about providing the best care you possibly can as close to home to as many people as you can.

“The greatest good for the greatest number.

“You only do that if you invest each year, every year. You don’t that if you discover health as an election issue.”

Struggle for ambulances

Patients in life-threatening scenarios have struggled to get through to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) to call ambulances amid a staffing shortage.

Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said surge staff were assigned to hospitals to help transfer ambulance patients, but on busy shifts crews can be forced to stay.

“It can be so overwhelming that the actual ambulance crew is required to stay with their patient, depending on the acuity of their patient,” he said.

“(Paramedics) may actually start their shift and be directed to go straight to one of the hospitals to work their full shift from the hospital.

“It’s not what the paramedic skill set is there for, patients out there in the community really need that care.

“But they (Ambulance Victoria) probably don’t have a choice ... hospitals are under such strain.”

He said ramping – such as that seen at Box Hill Hospital on Wednesday night – was “incredibly common”.

“Rarely a day will go by where we don’t hear about it,” he said.

“There’s probably been a slight, very slight improvement . . . but I’m saying that very tentatively.

“We’re nowhere near back to where we need to be.”

He called for more innovative ideas, such as Box HIll’s decision to place a general practitioner in their Emergency Department waiting rooms and said it would be a “significant amount of time” before pressure on the system returned to pre-Covid levels.

“The biggest issue we have to deal with is that we’ve got such a fatigued, tired, burnt-out workforce,” he said.

“You will see high amounts of absenteeism for quite some time.”