Howie wrote:Sure it's more than just an ER.. but it's also a new Intensive Care Unit, Burns Unit and Renal Dialysis Unit. What's left to upgrade? Perhaps a new residential wing. Doesn't seem to make sense to me, that we'd throw away hundreds of millions of dollars already spent and also pry the RAH away from the IMVS, and the universities and plonk it on the other side of North Terrace. I mean come on, you don't need to be Dr Tim Cooper to realise this just doesn't make any sense.
p.s. no offence taken Benski.
Hey Howie, I hope you've been well. As promised I caught up with my bro at one of the family functions we all love. I asked him firstly about the ER and then about the hospital in general. I can't remember all that he said, partially because I'm not a nurse and therefore couldn't relate but also because he said too much for me to remember. But from what I can remember here's an essay:
On the ER, he said that when it was built it was actually done so without consulation of a lot of the staff that use it and for that reason it's actually poorly designed. He also said that it's too small and they've already run out of room in there and there's no more room to expand it which is also creating problems. He elaborated by saying that they expect a 40% increase on current patient levels coming through the ER by 2012 (i think he said) and the ER just wouldn't cope with this and doesn't have the space to expand. Apparently they,ve also actually rigged it up with a bluetooth system that they can't use for some reason to do with things I don't understand but this was done to accommodate a new patient file sharing system they want to put into place across all SA hospitals but can't implement in the current RAH because of the buildings limitations. Over my head.
On the hospital in general he said from a nurses point of view it's just poorly designed and laid out. He was saying that in Canada and America new technologies and building designs are being used which they want to adopt here in SA that are somehow far superior (I don't understand so can't comment) and they can't achieve that by doing a refurbishment. He mentioned also that the current wards where you can have 9 or 10 patients sharing the ward wasn't condusive to treatment, privacy or healing of the patient and what the government wants to do is copy what they do in Canada and have a separate room for every patient as this is better for care. Also apparently the nurses stations are too small and it's making it difficult for them to do their work properly and he said they struggle to find space to sit down and complete the patient paperwork in these stations and again there's no room for cost effective expansion.
He also said that they've had meetings recently in which they were told that they want to centralise health care in SA. That means that all acute care would be transferred to the new RAH, Lyell Mac in Elizabeth and one more hospital down south. Modbury and the QEH would be outpatients only and that the staffing levels would therefore be significantly reduced. I'm guessing this is a large reason for the new hospital, to facilitate this as this would not be possible on the existing site. On the note of the IMVS he said that they are on the hospital grounds and would simply transfer to the new site, and as far as the university goes he raised a fair point and said walk for five minutes (fair call).
That's all I can remember, he finished off by saying let's face it for every reason you can find to build the hospital there's probably a reason to do the refurbishment. He wasn't claiming he's an expert but in his opinion as someone who works there he would like to see the new hospital built. Actually that reminds me he did say that the RAH already has a lot overseas doctors wanting to come work here but the current hospital is a bit of a joke and he feels that with a new world class hospital it will attract even more overseas health care professionals here who will want to work and critically stay and practice or to do research etc and that this brings with it obvious finanical/economic benefits beyond just pure healthcare.
anyway that was way too long, enjoy.
