Around 10 patients will today move from St Margarets Hospital to a private healthcare facility to allow contractors to assess recently discovered damage to underground pipes at the more than 140 year old building.
This relocation has brought together the skills of CALHN’s logistics, nursing, medical and facilities team who in a matter of days, worked with patients, their families and Southern Cross Care to organise this move.
“Late last week we found that a sewer pipe had collapsed under the floor of the dining room and based on advice at the time, we decided it was appropriate to move patients within the building away from the affected area while further investigations continued,” Karen Hales, Nurse Lead, CALHN said.
“The latest advice however is that to better understand exactly what’s happened, contractors need to dig under the building’s foundations to physically inspect the extent of the damage to the sewer system before plans can be made for repair. This is expected to take several weeks and until repair works are complete, the sewage system cannot be used.
“Patients at St Margarets are primarily older people who require care however do not need to be in an acute hospital setting. We have consulted with patients and their families about the need to relocate and some patients have elected to return home to their families as it is safe for them do so and the remainder will move to the Southern Cross Care facility today.
“With the best interest of our patients at the forefront, we established a multidisciplinary team to plan the move and make it as easy for our patients as possible. I’d like to thank everyone who has leaned in to pull this together, always putting the needs of our patients first. Our staff regularly go out of their way to ensure the best outcomes for our patients and this is just another example of our team going above and beyond,” Karen said.
To help the patients to feel at ease and comfortable during the move, CALHN nursing staff will travel with them to the new facility. CALHN staff working at St Margaret’s will also temporarily work at the new facility to provide continuity of care and a familiar face for patients.
A structural engineer has inspected the site to advise the contractors on how to progress works without damaging the St Margarets building.
Built in 1875, St Margarets Hospital is located at Military Road, Semaphore.
