06/11/2025
Last night, a 74 y/o patient was ramped at Flinders Medical Centre for over 12 hours.
They had a fall at home and were experiencing severe head and neck pain. Paramedics attended and transported them to hospital.
After 7 long and uncomfortable hours stuck in the back of the ambulance under spinal precautions, unable to move, and in pain, the patient was brought into the hospital corridor to continue their wait inside.
The hospital corridor is a public walkway. Paramedics had to hold up blankets to shield the patient from public view to allow them to use a bed pan. The patient felt “mortified”.
After 10 hours of ramping the paramedic crew went home. They had completed their full 12-hour shift plus overtime, without a break.
The patient remained ramped in the hospital corridor. They had not received any hospital care and there was no indication they were going to be admitted to the hospital any time soon, despite having waited in pain for hours. A new paramedic crew was removed from the road to come and look after the patient. Alternative care pathways were starting to be considered, just for some progress for the patient, even though there was a very real likelihood they needed hospital-level care and would end up back at hospital anyway (likely to be ramped again).
This patient was not only deprived of the medical care they needed, but also deprived of their dignity in trying to access it. These are the human impacts of a health system in crisis – a ramping crisis that three years ago, this Government committed to the people of South Australia it would fix.
The South Australian community deserves better.
