Calls for transparency as pressure builds on regional SA health system

The SA Salaried Medical Officers Association (SASMOA) is calling for more transparency regarding the strain on regional emergency departments in South Australia. Members of the union have reported severe overcapacity at Mount Gambier's emergency department (ED) last Wednesday. Health Minister Blair Boyer has indicated he will consider making more data available, but he will only do so if it provides value and changes the situation.

There are concerns that a lack of data on regional hospital demand is obscuring the true strain on the South Australian health system, with reports that a single emergency department was treating twice as many patients as it had treatment spaces. According to SASMOA's chief industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland, the surge in demand would normally trigger a code white, an escalation plan to decompress the ED and relieve pressure on staff.

However, the absence of treatment spaces makes it difficult to see acutely unwell patients in the emergency department and increases distress for both clinicians and patients. A publicly available dashboard currently tracks the status of Adelaide emergency departments but does not include regional hospitals, making it difficult to determine whether incidents of overcapacity are anomalies or patterns.

SASMOA is urging the addition of regional hospital data to the dashboard to better understand the pressure on rural hospitals, particularly larger ones like Mount Gambier, Gawler, and Mount Barker. Shadow Health Minister Jack Batty has heard anecdotal reports from patients about the extreme pressure faced by regional health workers.

Without proper identification of the problem's extent, it will be nearly impossible to plan effective solutions. Health Minister Boyer noted that presentations to emergency departments across the state have increased in recent weeks, with additional pressure from a spike in flu cases. Government data showed a continuing rise in ED presentations at Mount Gambier hospital, with the number of presentations increasing from 27,351 in 2024-25 to 28,621 in the most recent financial year.

Boyer stated that he would consider providing regional hospital data on the ED dashboard but would have to be convinced that it would bring value and change. The acting CEO of the Limestone Coast Local Health Network, Kylie Williams, reported that the hospital is dealing with a continued rise in presentations and has increased clinical staff from 303 full-time equivalents to 354 in 2026.