Major Covid-19 breaches at Royal Darwin Hospital’s emergency department

Clinicians have revealed major breaches of Covid-19 protocols at Royal Darwin Hospital that have put the public at risk.

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CLINICIANS have revealed major breaches of Covid-19 protocols at Royal Darwin Hospital that have put the public at risk of a coronavirus outbreak.

A lack of staff has meant patients sent from the Howard Springs quarantine facility to the hospital for treatment have “repeatedly” left the negative pressure isolation room and wandered around the emergency department unsupervised.

In another case a staff member inadvertently entered the room of a patient who had Covid-19 without wearing any personal protective equipment.

The staff member then had to be sent to Howard Springs to spend two weeks in supervised quarantine.

“The potential for a full-blown Covid disaster in the near future is extreme,” one concerned clinician said.

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In a statement, a Health Department spokeswoman said “at times, unintentional PPE breaches occur”.

“There are strict protocols in place to prevent protocol breaches, including ‘spotters’ and a zero tolerance for PPE breaches which requires the worker to quarantine in accordance with clinical advice.

“The policy and processes in place have proven effective.”

The spokeswoman said extra security had now been added to ensure patients sent from Howard Springs did not leave the negative pressure isolation room.

“Patients are clearly advised of their requirements to remain in the decompression room,” she said.

“However, in response to noncompliance, security staff are now also stationed at the decompression room to provide additional monitoring support to staff.”

But whistleblowers said the conditions at the hospital – including a lack of staff and an overwhelmed emergency department – had created a dangerous situation.

“Patients sent from Howard Springs to ED have repeatedly left the negative pressure isolation room and wandered around ED due to a lack of nursing resources and the inability to supervise them, exposing the entire department to extreme Covid risk,” one concerned staff member revealed.

Royal Darwin Hospital. Picture: Che Chorley

In one case a woman was discovered by nurses in the resuscitation room about 3am.

She returned a negative Covid-19 test but the incident caused alarm among hospital staff.

Staff say they are concerned the government has accepted more than $500 million to take repatriated Australians at Howard Springs but “not a single cent” has been spent on improvements at the hospital, which would be in the firing line if there was an outbreak.

They said they were frustrated by the government’s self-congratulatory rhetoric when its success in handling the coronavirus had been largely due to good luck.

“These people are playing Russian roulette and every month they’re putting another bullet in the gun,” one staff member said.

Clinicians have also raised concerns an exposure incident could worsen an already dire staffing situation.

“Should there be an exposure resulting in furloughing of a group of staff, as has happened elsewhere in Australia, we have no ability to cover or replace these staff,” one said.

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