More red flags for Adelaide’s hospitals
Last week was described as the ‘week from hell’ for Flinders Medical Centre’s Emergency Department. The AMA’s renewed hospital logjam campaign confirms all major public hospitals in Adelaide are under immense pressure. In his latest President’s Update Dr Williams reflects on the challenges and calls for a united government response. There’s also an update on AMA SA’s gala and contract negotiations with Federal AMA.
‘Is SA’s health system a hot mess?’
That was the colourful headline published by ABC News in response to chaotic conditions at the Flinders Medical Centre ED last week. We heard reports of mental health patients waiting more than 40 hours for beds and doctors being forced to make ‘impossible choices’ about which emergency patients to prioritise.
There’s little denying that our health system is under intense stress. We doctors bear the brunt of that stress daily and see the toll it takes on our patients.
The extent of the problems came into sharp focus again last Friday, when the AMA launched its renewed hospital logjam campaign. The campaign identifies South Australia’s public hospitals as the most under-pressure in the country. It shows that patients at all six major metropolitan Adelaide hospitals are waiting far too long for emergency care and planned essential surgeries.
To compound that bad news, the South Australian Government also released the latest ambulance ramping data on Friday. We learnt that patients spent 4,134 hours ramped outside Adelaide’s hospitals in March. It’s the fifth month in a row the number of hours lost on the ramp has sharply increased.
I worry that as a society we’re growing numb to these problems. Ramping, long ED wait-times and postponed surgeries are almost accepted as ‘normal’. But we can’t lose sight of the real people whose health and wellbeing is suffering. We can’t lose sight of the 80-year-old stuck on a ramp for two hours or the mental health patient, who’s confused and distressed, waiting for emergency care.
Journalists regularly ask me what’s causing ED overcrowding and delays to essential planned surgery. Of course there are a range or complex, contributing factors, but chronic underinvestment by successive federal and state governments is the underlying cause.
The below graph from the McKell Institute’s ‘Operating Without a Plan’ report demonstrates how underinvestment has affected bed capacity. Between 2012 and 2022 the number of available beds per 1000 people in South Australia dropped from 3 to about 2.5. As our population grows and gets older, the investment in health clearly isn’t keeping up.
As part of the AMA’s hospital logjam campaign, we’re calling for a new National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) between the Commonwealth and the states and territories to significantly increase investment now and in the future.
The Australian Government has promised to deliver an additional $1.7 billion dollars to Australia’s public hospitals next year, including an additional $169 million for South Australia. Although welcome, this commitment falls significantly short of what’s required.
The AMA estimates that an additional $12.5 billion of federal funding is required over the next four years as well as an additional $15.3 billion in state and territory government funding. That level of investment can only be achieved through a new NHRA.
On a lighter note…
Now for some much-needed good news!
The reimagined AMA SA Gala is just around the corner. If you haven’t secured your tickets yet, now’s the perfect time.
With our hectic schedules, we doctors don’t always enjoy a lot of downtime. The gala offers a great opportunity to get together with colleagues and blow off some steam. It promises to be a fantastic evening of entertainment, great food and good fun.
This year, we’re hosting the gala at the beautiful SkyCity Ballroom on Saturday 28 June. I’d love to see you there!
AMA negotiations
A quick update before I go.
AMA SA works closely with the Federal AMA to champion the interests of our South Australian members, providing them with exclusive tools, events and benefits to excel in their professional and business lives.
The contract underpinning our relationship with Federal AMA is set to expire at the end of the year. Along with our AMA colleagues in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia we’ve begun negotiating with Federal AMA about the terms of a new contract.
We are committed to achieving an outcome that ensures we can continue delivering streamlined services and exceptional value for our members.
We’ll keep you updated on the discussions as they progress.
Yours in good health,
John