FSH trainee obstetricians moved
Two junior doctors training in obstetrics have been pulled from Fiona Stanley Hospital amid claims of a dysfunctional service and concerns about patient safety.
A State committee that co-ordinates training and accreditation for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has withdrawn two trainees from the hospital.
Health officials attributed the move to a redistribution of junior medical staff. But sources have told The Weekend West there has been unrest about quality and safety issues since the obstetric unit opened four months ago. This includes specific concerns raised by some registrars - or junior doctors - about the service.
A spokeswoman for King Edward Memorial Hospital, which is represented on the RANZCOG committee, said trainees had been redistributed "to maximise training opportunities", resulting in two trainees leaving FSH because of a lower-than-expected workload.
The move comes despite the hospital having to go on "baby bypass" when its maternity unit was unable to cope in its first week with a surge in women in labour.
The RANZCOG confirmed this week that the unit was accredited for training last month, initially for 12 months and subject to a review next year. It said information about the rotation of trainees was confidential.
Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Gannon said he was aware of concerns about the new obstetrics service, and like other services at the hospital it appeared there was poor planning going back several years.
"The greatest concern about these reports we're hearing is that at the moment the Fiona Stanley Hospital unit is meant to be functioning largely as the old Kaleeya hospital, before it ramps up the acuity of patients it's planning to see," Dr Gannon said.
It raised serious unease about the possible closure of Bentley Hospital's maternity unit, which the State Government was known to be considering.
"You cannot even think of closing the Bentley Hospital service when the place those deliveries are slated to go is currently dysfunctional," Dr Gannon said.
"It's worrying this unit is having problems well before it's taking more complex patients, when it is mostly taking the work from a cottage hospital in East Fremantle, and it's not coping and trainees are being pulled."
Dr Gannon said major issues continued to hamper the running of the hospital and threaten the safety of patients.
"We're still getting reports of instruments that are meant to be sterilised being found with blood and tissue on them," he said.
