SA nurses call for urgent investigation into use of corridors for patient care at RAH

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are being treated in corridors with only a bell to draw attention.  That's according to the nurses' union, which has lodged a complaint about the practice with Safework SA.  But the state government says while it isn't ideal, the practice is helping to ease demand on the hospital system.

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00:02Ambulances ramped, hospital beds full and patients overflowing into corridors.

00:08It's this scenario which the nurses' union says is becoming all too common.

00:12It's undignified, it's unsustainable and it's completely inappropriate.

00:17The practice of corridor care brought into stark focus

00:20by the death of Adelaide grandmother Helen Sargent last year.

00:23She was left in a corridor at the RA for more than an hour before passing away.

00:28Her family furious the practice is still happening.

00:31This has got to stop. It's atrocious really.

00:34No person should go through what we've gone through.

00:37A union representative say they observed the practice at the RA two weeks ago.

00:41In a report lodged with SafeWork, they found it was leading to moral distress among nurses,

00:46with some corridor beds blocking fire exits and other patients only given a hand-held bell to draw attention.

00:53If we don't listen to nurses sounding the alarm bells on dangerous corridor care, someone else will die.

01:01But the state government says corridor care is being done safely

01:05and keeps patients away from busy emergency departments.

01:09Ideally we don't have to do it. Ideally we don't have ramping. I totally accept that.

01:13It is around where appropriate and where safe finding methods to be able to provide that care for people

01:19faster than we would otherwise be able to do it.

01:22The health minister also comfortable that corridor patients can alert staff in an emergency.

01:28There has to be the provision of the appropriate call bell for that patient to be able to call for

01:33help if they need it.

01:34The minister says the health department reassured him there have been no other deaths in hospital corridors like Miss Sargent.

01:40And says three clinical reviews determined her treatment space was not the reason for her death.

01:44The matter could still be subject to a coronial inquest or independent review.

01:48, if you will, back comment has received many positive results.

01:48Thank you for tuning in.

01:49But the…

01:49Tell us about studying…

01:50Give you their time…

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