Charlotte Varcoe
AMBULANCE officers have reported ramping occurred at Mount Gambier Hospital’s emergency department during an unprecedented ‘Code White’ called last week due to a shortage of hospital staff.
For the first time in the hospital’s history, the ‘Code White’ occurred from Wednesday to Friday and was due to an increase in Covid-19 induced staff absences.
The Limestone Coast’s ambulance employees association SA representative Andrew Shouksmith said he had received reports of ambulance officers waiting at the emergency department doors with patients while the ‘Code White’ was in place.
Labelling the incident as “essentially ramping”, Mr Shouksmith said it was not the first time it had occurred in Mount Gambier but remained adamant it was not common.
“If we cannot get a patient out of the vehicle and into the hospital, that is ramping,” Mr Shouksmith said.
“It is not the first time [ramping] has happened but it isn’t common and vehicles can be held up while space is found to take a patient.
“I am aware there were extended waiting times for ambulance officers throughout the three-days the ‘Code White’ was called.”
Mr Shouksmith said the solution to preventing the issue in the future was a “multi-step” process and not an overnight fix.
“Unless we can clear patients from the hospital wards we cannot clear the emergency department which then leads to ramping and that is the real key to freeing up space,” he said.
“This is the result of years of neglect from the health system and whoever had been doing the modeling on the hospital’s demand has got it so wrong.
“Staffing has been cut to the bone so there is no resilience in the system and when there are a lot of staff off because of Covid, or as close contacts, there are no reserves.”
Mr Shouksmith expressed concern surrounding the staffing of the emergency department as ambulance officers and health professionals braced for the oncoming flu season.
“Thanks to Covid isolation and restrictions we have not had a major flu season for two years but I think it will come back this year with a vengeance,” he said.
“It would be nice if the current government could put immediate work into the Mount Gambier Hospital but I don’t see how they are going to do that with the shortage of doctors, nurses, ambulance officers and general practitioners.
“The alternative pathways to the emergency department just aren’t there and people are relying on the emergency department because they can’t see their general practitioner.”
A statement from the Limestone Coast Local Health Network said the hospital had activated the ‘Code White’ due to experiencing an increase in the number of Covid induced staff absences, which resulted in further pressure on the health system.
“A range of measures were put in place to ease the load and respond to demand,” the statement said.
“Our staff were able to continue to assess and provide care to patients according to their clinical needs and prioritise life-threatening cases requiring emergency medical care.
“During this period, the emergency department continued to be open and staff were available to assess patients and manage beds accordingly.
“When its particularly busy for our hospitals, the community has an important role to play in easing the demand on hospitals during peak periods.
“We need to keep our emergency departments free for people who need them.”
The statement encouraged people to seek alternative options for minor illnesses and injury such as visiting a general practitioner, pharmacist, after hours practitioner clinic, or virtual care service.
“Of course, anyone that is seriously ill with a medical emergency or life threatening situation should always call 000 or present at an emergency department as soon as possible.”
Minister for Health Chris Picton has since requested a report from the Limestone Coast Local Health Network about the three-day incident and has also asked the Health Department to ensure Mount Gambier Hospital can get “all the support it needs during this time”.
“Ultimately what we need is more capacity in Mount Gambier and that is exactly what we have committed to delivering,” Mr Picton said.
“We will deliver more capacity in emergency, more mental health capacity, more drug rehabilitation and more paramedics.”
Shadow Minister for Health Ashton Hurn said Covid had impacted the health workforce over the past two years and called on the State Government to act accordingly.
“Labor is now responsible for managing these challenges,” Ms Hurn said.
“They promised to add more doctors, nurses and resources to the system and we call on them to act.”
