Calls to investigate practice of patients kept in SA hospital corridors
The SA nurses' union and the state opposition are calling for an end to the practice of "corridor care" in SA hospitals, but the health minister says the measure helps reduce ramping.
The South Australian nurses' union is urging SafeWork SA to investigate the practice known as "corridor care" where patients are kept in hospital corridors during peak times. This call follows the death of a woman who became unresponsive while in a corridor at the Royal Adelaide Hospital last year. The SA Health Minister, Blair Boyer, stated that this practice emerged in response to coronial recommendations following three ramping-related deaths between 2019 and 2022.
The unions' concern is that patients are often denied access to essential facilities such as toilets, oxygen, and suction, as well as adequate staffing, when housed in corridors. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA Branch (ANMF SA) submitted a report to SafeWork SA advocating for an investigation into the use of corridor care across state hospitals.
ANMF SA's CEO, Elizabeth Dabars, noted that the use of corridors to manage patient flow has become increasingly common, effectively shifting the issue from the ramp to the corridors. She emphasized that such practices are unsafe and potentially unsanitary. The SA Health Minister confirmed that corridor care is now an option at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Flinders, and Lyell McEwen hospitals, following a recommendation made in an inquest into the three ramping-related deaths.
However, there are mixed expert opinions on the suitability of corridor care, and the state opposition has called for an end to this practice, expressing concern over the hospital system's mounting pressure.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
