The Malinauskas Labor Government is this month opening 30 additional hospital beds in the northern and western suburbs, completing a huge 243-bed expansion across the Lyell McEwin and Queen Elizabeth hospitals.
The extra beds come online as ramping across Adelaide improved for the fourth month in a row and has seen a 42 per cent improvement since July.
At the Lyell McEwin Hospital, 20 extra acute beds will come online by 23 December, while 10 extra beds will open at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by 10 December.
Once these are open, the Government will have delivered 140 extra beds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and 103 extra beds at the Lyell McEwin since being elected.
The new $16.5 million 20-bed Lyell McEwin inpatient ward has been built replacing an administration area.
It comprises 16 single rooms and one four-bed bay. The ward has provisions for high-flow oxygen therapy, bariatric capacity, cardiac monitoring and a negative pressure isolation room. It will manage a diverse range of patients, supported by these specialist capabilities.
A bariatric room – with a specialised ensuite attached – allows for bariatric-specific equipment to be used easily, including a roof mounted lifter frame with a weight capacity of 500kg, the first of its kind for the north.
Provisions in place for cardiac monitoring include 16 telemetry transmitters, which are used for electrocardiogram (ECG) testing and oxygen monitoring, alongside four bedside units providing monitoring to a central screen in the staff station.
Staff on the ward will be provided with specific cardiac training covering the use and interpretations of the tracings, and relevant escalation pathways.
A negative pressure isolation room, complete with an ante room and ensuite bathroom, is also included on the ward. This is used for patients who might have a contagious disease, where the air is continuously sucked out of the room, filtered and vented safely outside.
Renal dialysis provisions have been included in this room to allow for the delivery of urgent dialysis for patients requiring enhanced respiratory precautions.
In addition to the extra beds, a new CT machine will be installed in the Lyell McEwin's emergency department as part of a $2.25 million refurbishment.
The new machine will support better patient flow through the ED and the new inpatient beds.
The 10 extra surgical beds opening at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital next week finalise 36 additional fast-tracked beds at the QEH announced in the 2024-25 State Budget along with the additional 20 Lyell McEwin beds.
These 36 extra QEH beds have been created in the North East Building by building new facilities for some outpatient services that were using that area.
They will help improve access to emergency care, elective surgeries and reduce hospital wait times for patients in the western suburbs.
Extra hospital beds help improve patient flow and reduce the bed-block which contributes to ramping.
Ramping improved again in November, for the fourth month in a row, with ambulances spending 3,422 hours on the ramp outside metro hospitals, the best result this year.
Ramping in November was 42 per cent better than July's peak and 13 per cent improved on last month.
There are currently 236 patients stuck in metro hospitals medically ready for discharge but awaiting a Federal Government aged care bed. When including patients in mental health, private beds and transition beds this increases to 346 patients awaiting a Federal Government aged care bed.
Hospitals have performed 2183 more elective surgery operations than at the same time last year – a 5.3 per cent increase.
Full ramping data – including a hospital-by-hospital breakdown – can be found here.
As put by Chris Picton
We are delivering South Australians a bigger health system to improve access for patients who need care.
It's great to see 30 more beds coming online, completing a huge 220-bed expansion by the Malinauskas Labor Government across the Lyell McEwin and Queen Elizabeth hospitals.
These additional beds will ensure more South Australians can receive the care they need sooner closer to home.
Adding extra beds to the health system is key to improving patient flow and reducing the bed-block which contributes to ramping.
As put by Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Chief Executive Karen Puvogel
More beds in our hospitals means more people are able to receive the care they need in a timely manner, closer to home, and closer to their loved ones.
Ward 1C will manage a diverse patient cohort, many with complex conditions and multiple co-morbidities, supported by a broad suite of specialised capabilities, such as cardiac and bariatric provisions.
With 20 new beds soon to open in our NALHN catchment, our north and north-eastern community will have greater access to our health services when they need it.
