Grandmother Elsie Gribben left in St John of God Midland corridor as ED declares it is full

It’s a sight that shouldn’t be familiar and Elsie Gribben’s family say they were “appalled and disgusted” that she was one of at least three elderly patients left in a hospital corridor in Midland. The 88-year-old is the latest face of a health system that’s buckling under growing pressure, even before winter. She was taken to the public emergency department of St John of God Midland by ambulance on Tuesday, with leg complications. Daughter Sue Chapman said she spent almost 48 hours in the corridor with no call bell and no shower, until her family requested she be discharged. “Mum couldn’t walk and she was in a lot of pain,” she said. “She’s in a corridor of a thoroughfare where the ambulance comes and we’re not allowed into that area as visitors. “They let (my sister) in to see Mum and they were only in there for a short time, and then asked to leave that area. There’s trolleys left, right and centre, and Mum wasn’t the only person in that corridor at the time . . . it is just inhumane”. She claims hospital staff were horrified too, and said that spare beds were being reserved for private patients. “They are absolutely disgusted. They want to go on strike,” Ms Chapman said. Hospital management denied that, saying all available inpatient beds would be utilised to meet patient demand. But they confirmed the ED is being stretched due to “high patient demand”. “We often operate at or near capacity, and that requires careful coordination and management to ensure safe, high-quality care continues for all patients 24/7,” a SJOG Midland spokesman said. “To ensure patients are safely monitored and cared for while awaiting treatment, or an inpatient bed, sometimes requires the use of overflow areas in dedicated clinical settings.” The hospital said it was unable to comment on Ms Gribben’s care due to patient confidentiality, but that patients are triaged and treated according to clinical urgency. “The hospital apologises for the wait times and for the patient’s experience,” a statement said. “We take these concerns seriously and will be contacting the patient directly to check on their wellbeing”. She went home on Thursday, with no diagnosis. “We’re still waiting on those (ultrasound) results, and nobody’s got back to us,” her daughter said. “Her life is probably very short with us, but they’re increasingly making it shorter by treating them like this. “Mum’s my world, Mum’s my life, and I want to keep her around for as long as I can, for the grandkids, for everything. “I don’t need her being pushed into a situation where she’s being neglected, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.” Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam called it a sad reality of a hospital system in crisis. “It’s extremely concerning to think how many more stories like Elsie’s we could see in our hospitals as the flu season approaches,” she said.