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The daughters of an 88-year-old Perth grandmother forced to spend nearly 48 hours in pain in a hospital corridor at St John of God Midland Hospital have slammed the state of WA’s hospital system.
Elsie McGribben’s family took her to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon after she was complaining of leg pain and picked her up on Thursday afternoon without a diagnosis.
McGribben’s daughter Lynne Kirumira said her mother spent the entire period in a bed in one of the hospital corridors.
“She wasn’t showered for two days. They gave her baby wipes to clean herself in a public thoroughfare corridor with no privacy,” Kirumira said.
“She said it was freezing cold. The lights were on all night because they were going through with trolleys. They were going through with supplies.
“They offered her an iPad to block out the light, and ear plugs to try and block out the noise, and that was all she was able to be provided with.”
McGribben’s family were only allowed brief visits to their mother, and said they witnessed about 10 others in a similar situation.
Kirumira said the staff were amazing, but were working under horrific conditions.
“I think it’s appalling. It’s a shocking reflection of the healthcare system,” she said.
“Mum has an incredibly high tolerance for pain. She sucks it up 90 per cent of the time. So for her to complain of pain, you know, it’s really bad.
“But then she’s still hesitating to go to hospital because she said, ‘I can’t sit there in a wheelchair for 12 hours’.”
McGribben’s story emerged the same day a leaked letter from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital surgical services medical co-director Michael Levitt to his staff revealed internal concerns that elective surgeries would be significantly impacted by the Cook government’s upcoming “winter flu strategy”.
Levitt said two operating theatres would be closed at the hospital from April 7, and would remain shut permanently as a new hospital theatre expansion was built at the site.
Levitt said the entire executive of the hospital “remained deeply disappointed that this strategy disproportionately impacts patients in need of complex surgery”.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health disputed the claims that the theatres would be closed permanently, saying they would only be closed for two weeks in April to replace floor coverings, which was routine maintenance.
“During this brief period, the hospital will manage elective surgery within existing capacity. Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is undergoing a broader program of maintenance, and this includes works across operating theatres on a scheduled basis over several months,” she said.
“These works are being carefully planned, with only two theatres ever offline at any one time.”
Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam said McGribben’s story and Levitt’s letter showed the wheels were falling off the Cook government’s health system.
“Elsie’s face is the face of a hospital system which is under extraordinary pressure,” she said.
“Where is the dignity?...the saga that Elsie has had to endure inside the hospital system has now become commonplace.”
Mettam also rejected the department’s dismissal of Levitt’s letter.
“The email from the medical director is explicit,” she said.
“This raises alarm bells about the Cook Labor government’s elective surgery strategy. It raises alarm bells about the Cook Labor Government’s winter surge plan, which sounds like a sham on every level.”
A St John of God Midland public hospital spokeswoman said the hospital had apologised for McGribben’s experience.
“We take these concerns seriously and will be contacting the patient directly to check on their wellbeing and offer any further support,” she said.
The spokeswoman said Midland was experiencing high patient demand and often operated at or near capacity, requiring coordination to keep patients safe, including the use of “overflow areas”.
“This approach prioritises patient safety and allows the Emergency Department to continue addressing new patient presentations,” she said.
“When required, all available inpatient beds at St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals are utilised to meet patient demand, regardless of whether they are designated as part of the private hospital.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said McGribben’s experience was disappointing, but corridor care was normal practice for hospitals.
“Obviously hospital or corridor care, as it’s called, is not ideal, but it is a normal part of the practice to make sure that we can flex up and flex down to ensure people get the care they need,” he said.
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