Paramedic's Despair at Patient's Deterioration During Ambulance Ramp
A paramedic has described her feeling of helplessness while waiting with a deteriorating patient who was ramped outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH). Stacey White, the paramedic, was with patient Bernard Anthony Skeffington, 89, for over an hour and a half before he was finally taken inside the emergency department in peri-arrest.
"It was clear to us that he required urgent assistance," Ms White said.
Mr. Skeffington's death in September 2021 is being investigated in a coronial inquest, along with the deaths of two other patients who were also impacted by ambulance ramping. Before Mr. Skeffington was ramped, two ambulances were re-tasked, and it took three hours and 43 minutes for a third ambulance to be dispatched after his initial request.
Ms White told the court that it was distressing to be ramped with Mr. Skeffington as his condition worsened and he experienced nausea. She was left alone with the patient while her colleague went inside to try and get him admitted due to his deteriorating condition.
While waiting, Mr. Skeffington experienced "explosive" vomiting, which Ms White believed suggested a twisted bowel or obstruction. "It was an awful feeling," she said. "I banged on the ambulance windows in an attempt to attract attention of the other paramedics nearby. I believe I did everything that I possibly could in that situation."
Mr. Skeffington died four days later from aspiration pneumonia secondary to a small bowel obstruction. He had been transferred into comfort care.
The inquest is also investigating the deaths of 76-year-old Anna Vincenza Panella in April 2019 and 64-year-old Graham Henry Jessett in March 2022. Ms. Panella was ramped for 50 minutes before being taken into the RAH emergency department, while Mr. Jessett spent five hours waiting for a hospital bed while ramped at Flinders Medical Centre.
Registered nurse and former RAH triage nurse Jenese Heywood was on duty when Ms. Panella arrived at the hospital. She told the inquest that she started working elsewhere due to the impacts of ramping on her role of triaging patients who arrived at the emergency department via ambulances. "It made my job very hard and it was actually one of the reasons I left."
The inquest into the three deaths is continuing.