Proposed industrial action by nurses at two of Adelaide’s major public hospitals could lead to patients waiting in ambulances outside emergency departments, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has warned. Nurses at the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth hospitals are planning to limit emergency department admissions in protest against cuts to patient beds, including the closure of Ward S7 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH). The SA Government will today seek an urgent injunction from the state’s Industrial Relations Commission to stop staff taking the action, which Health Minister Jack Snelling said could “hurt patients”.
