Perth hospitals fail UK test
Perth's major hospitals are struggling to treat patients on time, with mentally ill people facing waits up to 48 hours for a bed and other patients being cared for in corridors, British health experts have found.
Their report, tabled in Parliament yesterday, shows Royal Perth, Sir Charles Gairdner and Fremantle hospitals are failing to meet emergency care standards set by the National Health Service for London hospitals, including providing seven-day urgent access to diagnostic tests and twice-daily ward rounds.
It follows a visit last month by a team led by Professor Derek Bell from London's Imperial College, at the request of Health Minister Kim Hames, to help fix the slide in hospital treatment times.
The Government funded the visit for some of the 12 experts but has refused to disclose the cost.
Their report found hospitals were falling well short of the target of admitting or discharging 81 per cent of emergency department patients within four hours, with only 45 per cent of RPH patients needing to be admitted getting a bed in that time, and big numbers waiting 12 to 24 hours.
At times SCGH operated at 104 per cent capacity using "corridor beds". Mental health patients faced long delays for beds at all three hospitals, with "restraint, close observation and sedation" often used and patients' dignity compromised. One patient waited 48 hours at SCGH and another 27 hours at RPH.
The report recommended improving access to diagnostic equipment, theatres and consultant doctors after hours, particularly on weekends, and warned against using "surge capacity" such as corridor beds.
Dr Hames said growing demand for health services had put huge pressure on hospitals and Professor Bell's team had made recommendations that could be implemented without significant cost increases. The minister said it was critical the health service "squeezed every possible efficiency" out of the system.
Australian Medical Association WA emergency medicine spokesman Dave Mountain said the Government needed to provide more resources rather than blame staff.
"It's fine to say we need things like twice-daily ward rounds and more consultants around on weekends, but that means extra staff," Dr Mountain said.
