May 2026
ANMF (SA Branch) advocacy has resulted in an important win for staff and patient safety at Angaston and District Hospital.
ANMF SA conducted an urgent Right on Entry (RoE) on April 10, after members raised concerns over a lack of on-site medical officer coverage between 8am Tuesday to 8am Friday.
Of particular concern, was the lack of community awareness regarding the critical medical workforce shortages.
On the back of the RoE and subsequent media coverage of the issue, the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (BHFLHN) moved to inform the community about the medical shortages via its social media pages.
“During the mid-week period without coverage, SA Ambulance priority cases were being diverted, however, critically unwell patients who arrived at the Emergency Department by themselves were still being accepted,” ANMF SA CEO/Secretary Adj Assoc Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM said.
“By alerting members of the community about the mid-week medical shortages, people can make informed decisions about where to receive care.”
BHFLHN has contracted My Emergency Doctor (MED), a virtual support service, to assist with Emergency Department triage 3, 4 and 5 presentations between 8pm and 8am, seven days a week.
The MED service has now been expanded to provide 24-hour Emergency Department medical support from 8am Tuesday to 8am Friday.
Additionally, the MED service will now support the inpatient care team with deteriorating patient escalations from 8am Tuesday to 8am Friday, when a locum from the Angaston Medical Centre is not available.
Angaston Hospital also reduced inpatient bed capacity from 12 beds to 9 on May 2, whilst recruitment strategies continue to secure additional nursing staff, continuing until July 31.
Hospital management denied that community access to Emergency Department services will be impacted, however, it agreed to review any requests to increase bed capacity due to demand on a case-by-case basis.
The Emergency Department has continued to be staffed with a registered nurse on the early and late shifts, with a registered nurse also rostered on the night shift until June 30.
BHFLHN leadership acknowledged the psychosocial hazards raised by ANMF SA members, such as stress and fatigue, that were experienced as a result of a lack of medical support.
It has committed to working to resolve these, with a draft risk assessment and management plan developed and distributed for consultation with nursing staff.
Ms Dabars thanked management and LHN leadership for their efforts to address these medical shortages and their impact on valuable nursing staff.
“We commend the swift mitigation strategies undertaken to address these critical issues that were raised by dedicated members and look forward to continuing to work with the management,” Ms Dabars said.