Patients from Fiona Stanley Hospital have had to be sent to Fremantle and neighbouring St John of God hospitals for a specialised jaw scan because the machine required was never installed in the new tertiary facility.
In a separate problem, a specially-built room to treat problems like gallstones cannot currently be used because of design flaws.
Some staff expressed frustration that their day-to-day work was being stymied by a range of problems, with operations also delayed due to sterilisation issues, as revealed by the ABC.
Fiona Stanley has two Cone Beam scanners for jaw scans but no OPG machines, which take a higher resolution scan and allow for a more accurate diagnosis, despite the expectations of some staff.
The ABC was told an inpatient was this week transferred from Fiona Stanley to Fremantle for an OPG scan in an ambulance at a cost of several hundred dollars, because the procedure could not otherwise be performed.
Outpatients have been told they needed to go elsewhere for the OPG procedure, used by the hospital’s ENT, emergency, maxillofacial and dental units.
They are told they can go to Fremantle or another public hospital for a free scan or across the road to St John of God private hospital, where they have to pay gap costs.
Equipment swap considered
A hospital spokeswoman said the radiology department assessed the most appropriate imaging required for patients.
“In some instances, alternative sites offering this imaging within the South Metropolitan Health Service will be suggested as an option for patients,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The hospital is now considering swapping one of its cone beam scanners for an OPG machine.
“Under the innovative managed equipment service in place, there is scope for one of these units to be exchanged for an OPG machine and discussion regarding this process is currently underway with clinicians,” the spokeswoman said.
In another issue, a room specially built to diagnose and treat conditions like gallstones, tears in the bile and main pancreatic duct and certain cancers cannot be used for the procedure because the layout does not work.
It is understood the lead-lined enclosure for the radiologist in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) room is too big.
The hospital spokeswoman said the room was designed to best accommodate the equipment and clinical workflows known at the time, but during the procurement process those changed and “some adjustments were required”.
“This reconfiguration will be complete next month and there have been no impacts to patients as [the hospital] is currently providing ERCPs in its extensive radiology department,” she said.
The administration was asked how much this would cost.
Failures by non-clinical services provider Serco to properly sterilise medical equipment on time forced operations to be delayed and extra WA health staff to be brought in to bring Serco up to speed.
Health Minister Kim Hames categorised some of the issues as “teething problems”, but said sterilisation failure was more serious and Serco would be fined and have to pay for the cost of the WA health staff at $4,800 a week.