‘Not good enough’: Premier responds to fatal 10 hour ambulance wait

Malinauskas held a media convention this afternoon to reply to the loss of life of a 54-year-old Hectorville man who died ready greater than 10 hours for an ambulance after making a triple-zero name on December 27 to report belly ache and vomiting.

Recognized solely as “Eddie”, the person lived in a incapacity care facility and was assessed as requiring an ambulance response inside 60 minutes.

After his situation deteriorated following a prolonged wait, an ambulance was lastly despatched as a precedence one and arrived inside 4 minutes, however the man died.

The Ambulance Staff Affiliation yesterday revealed the incident had occurred on December 27, and blamed it on ambulances and sufferers being ramped exterior crowded emergency departments.

Requested at a press convention on Friday afternoon if the person’s household had a proper to really feel offended, the Premier stated: “I feel anytime we see an occasion like this, sure, it positive does.”

“And that’s what motivates our positions. In the event you take a look at the state price range, which is the place the rubber hits the highway when it comes to assets, the quantity of extra {dollars} that we invested over and above what any earlier authorities has put into well being is astronomical.

“That’s why we select to make it a precedence. We select to say the established order is just not ok and we’ve bought to enhance it – and that’s precisely what we’re delivering as a authorities when it comes to all the extra assets.”

Requested if it was truthful for the person to attend greater than 10 hours for an ambulance, Malinauskas stated: “No, completely not, which is strictly why we’re making these adjustments.”

SA Well being CEO Robyn Lawrence stated this morning that well being authorities had been but to contact the deceased man’s household regardless of the incident occurring greater than 9 days in the past.

Malinauskas stated there have been some difficulties getting in contact with the person’s subsequent of kin.

Requested if he would personally be visiting the household, he stated: “Usually I do attempt to try this in a majority of these circumstances, and that’s why we’re attempting to get these particulars across the subsequent of kin.

“There was a little bit of problem doing that, so we’re going by the suitable channels with them as a result of the affected person was in a caring facility.

“It has been a bit tough to this point… usually by now we might have these particulars. It’s simply been laborious to establish.”

The Malinauskas Authorities was elected in March 2022 on a key pledge to “repair the ramping disaster”, with the paramedics’ union enjoying a key function in a high-profile marketing campaign in opposition to the Marshall Liberal authorities.

The place’s the Premier? Regardless of his promise to repair ramping, it is worse than ever and he is MIA. Good that he was in a position to go for a beachside jog this morning although as an alternative of fronting as much as media. pic.twitter.com/LX28BdwPT6

— SA Liberal Media (@SALibMedia) January 4, 2024

Nonetheless, the Ambulance Staff Affiliation stated at the moment that “ramping is simply getting worse”.

In November, ramping figures had been the worst within the state’s historical past at 4285 hours, equal to 178 days. SA Well being stated yesterday that December’s ramping figures of 3,595 hours – equal to 149 days – was a 16 per cent enchancment.

Opposition chief David Speirs this morning stated the well being system was within the grip of an “unprecedented disaster” and known as for the Premier to sack Well being Minister Chris Picton, claiming the well being system “has fallen aside underneath his watch”.

“We all know that we noticed a authorities elected in March 2022 that was very very clear about its major goal – that was a major goal to place all of its efforts, all of its focus into fixing the healthcare system and notably getting on prime of ramping,” Speirs stated.

“We’ve seen our hospital system actually fall off a cliff when it comes to its capability to assist probably the most susceptible South Australians.”

Malinauskas dismissed Opposition calls to sack Picton, who’s at the moment on paternity depart.

“This isn’t the primary time they’ve made these calls,” the Premier stated.

“I do really feel a bit bit for the Well being Minister – he’s bought a new child who he’s taking residence at the moment and the Opposition’s determined to come back out and name for his resignation.

“That’s their prerogative – they’ll play politics… we’ve simply bought to concentrate on getting these extra assets on-line.”

The Premier stated there can be 150 extra hospital beds coming on-line in 2024, on prime of 500 extra clinicians employed in 2023.

He additionally stated there was a “dramatic enchancment” in ambulance response occasions final 12 months.

“Our process is to proceed to enhance all through the course of 2024 in order to make sure we don’t see tragedies unfold just like the one which occurred within the final couple of days,” he stated.

The share of precedence one callouts – requiring an ambulance inside eight minutes – that had been met on time improved over the course of 2023, a reality the federal government highlighted at the moment. Graph: SA Well being

The share of precedence two callouts – requiring an ambulance inside 16 minutes – that had been met additionally improved final 12 months. Graph: SA Well being

Requested if he was involved that affected person deaths and continued ramping may damage Labor on the 2026 election, the Premier stated: “That’s not the priority, the priority is definitely enhancing the system.

“And what I discover irritating is we’ll have six months of improved information and it seems you’re getting someplace after which swiftly it’ll be one step again.

“That’s when it will get a bit irritating, however that’s while you’ve bought to redouble your efforts.”

He later added: “The politics appears to be the preoccupation of others, we’re simply targeted on the coverage that may make a distinction to maintain individuals secure.”

Supported by the Authorities of South Australia