LABOR is demanding a review of staffing at Gold Coast Hospital following the release of a shocking photo of a cancer patient lying on the floor waiting for treatment.
Speaking at the hospital this morning, Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller also called for an apology from Premier Campbell Newman and Health Minister Lawrence Springborg.
“When I saw the photo of Amanda, lying on the floor of the emergency department, I was totally and utterly shocked,” she said.
“Here she was, a cancer patient with a makeshift pillow, and a blanket over her on the floor.”
Ms Miller said 54 nursing and midwifery jobs had been cut from the Gold Coast, and blamed a staff shortage for the problem.
“It’s obvious that while there is a beautiful hospital here, there are problems in the number of medical staff and the number of nurses,” she said.
“It’s just like it’s a third-world situation.”
However, Ms Miller could not say how many more staff were needed for the region.
“The staffing of this hospital needs to be reviewed, it’s simple,” she said.
“If they’re not getting the people through within the emergency times, the government needs to review the staffing of this hospital.
“When it comes to people’s lives, when it comes to cancer patients, heart patients, stroke patients, they need to be treated immediately.”
A hospital media staffer, accompanied by a security guard, asked media talking to Ms Miller to leave the hospital grounds.
UPDATE: The mother of a cancer patient forced to lie on the emergency department floor at Gold Coast University Hospital has said she felt “horrible” seeing her daughter in that position.
Rhonda Waters said she has asked repeatedly for a bed when she presented with her terminally ill daughter Amanda Veitch at the hospital’s emergency department.
“We asked a few times for a bed and they couldn’t give us one, she just kept repeatedly asking if she could lay down and I just couldn’t find anywhere for her to lay down,” she told ABC.
Ms Waters explained her daughter was forced to lie on the hospital floor with a blanket and makeshift pillow for about 45 minutes. Ms Veitch had arrived with her husband who had informed hospital staff she was undergoing chemotherapy.
“I know he definitely did tell them that she was a cancer patient there and that she had a cancer card which was supposed to give her priority.”
Ms Waters explained the severity of her daughters condition.
“She was told late last year that they would do one more round of radiation and chemo on her but if this doesn’t work there’s nothing more they can medically do for her,” she said.
“She’s under a lot of pain 24/7, she tries to keep that under control but when she can’t she has to go to hospital.”
The hospital has since apologised to Ms Veitch and her family, and her mother said the staff did “everything they could” to alleviate her pain when she was finally treated.
EARLIER: A PHOTO of a terminally ill woman forced to lie on the floor of the Gold Coast University Hospital has prompted widespread anger toward the health system and an apology from the hospital.
The image posted on Facebook shows Nerang resident and chemotherapy patient Amanda Veitch lying on the floor of the hospital’s emergency department with a blanket and makeshift pillow.
The photo was uploaded on Saturday by Amanda’s sister Lisa Hill on to her personal Facebook page, where she wrote that Mrs Veitch was a chemotherapy patient at high risk of infection and was in pain when she arrived at the hospital.
“She has a card that she shows them so she is sent to her own room but apparently thay (sic) said she needs to wait on the priority list like everyone else,” she wrote.
The original post has since been shared more than 450 times and has also appeared on other Facebook pages where more than 1500 people have also shared the photo and expressed their anger.
A number of Bulletin readers were left furious after seeing the image, with Kate Cotter describing the incident as “absolutely disgusting” on Facebook and Neil Dunbar labelling the health system as a joke.
Fellow Bulletin reader Melinda Norman-Hicks was also angered by the photo and wrote on Facebook questioning the hospital’s planning.
“As a brand new hospital, it should not be over capacity like this already,” she wrote.
However, some people defended hospital staff, saying they too would be frustrated by such situations.
“Yes the wait time is too long in some cases, but honestly the staff do what they can,” Karen Anne wrote.
Julie Parsons agreed, saying the incident would be “so frustrating for sick patients but also for the staff who are under pressure’’.
The outpouring of anger online prompted an apology from Gold Coast Hospital, with executive director operations Jane Hancock saying an investigation had started.
“Gold Coast Health deeply regrets the circumstances that led to a patient lying on the emergency department floor over the weekend and is currently investigating the issue,” she said.
“We apologise unreservedly and are reviewing our processes to try to ensure this situation doesn’t occur for any of our patients.”
Ms Hancock said the emergency department was particularly busy on Saturday after a major road accident.
“While not an excuse, there were particular circumstances that contributed to this unfortunate occurrence,” she said.
“Gold Coast University Hospital experienced a high volume of patients through the emergency department on Saturday including a major road accident with casualties brought to the hospital via helicopter.”
Source: Courier Mail