Arabic version: ممرضو جنوب أستراليا يطلبون تحقيقاً بشأن رعاية المرضى في ممرات المستشفيات

According to ABC News, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA Branch has asked SafeWork SA to investigate what it says is the growing use of hospital corridors for patient care during periods of high demand. The union submitted a report after its officers inspected the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

ANMF SA chief executive Elizabeth Dabars said corridor care was becoming increasingly common in state hospitals and could restrict access to toilets, oxygen, suction, other safety equipment and appropriate staffing. She said the practice appeared to shift pressure associated with ambulance ramping from a visible area into hospital corridors. The union wants the state government to intervene over what it describes as the regular use of corridors while patients wait for beds.

Health Minister Blair Boyer said corridor care was now an option at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Flinders and Lyell McEwen hospitals following a recommendation from a coronial inquest into three ramping-related deaths between 2019 and 2022. He said it must be used only when appropriate and safe, and for the right patient. Mr Boyer also referred to July 2025 inquest findings, saying the coroner had endorsed the government’s strategy on ramping.

The call follows the death of Helen Sargeant, who became unresponsive while on a bed in a Royal Adelaide Hospital corridor in October 2025. Opposition health spokesperson Jack Batty said concerns raised by nurses should be heard. Mr Boyer said three clinical reviews found corridor care was not the reason for Mrs Sargeant’s death, while acknowledging her family did not agree. He said he would commission a review external to the health department if a coronial inquest does not occur.