Published August 2026
The Malinauskas Labor Government must acknowledge that ‘corridor care’ is not acceptable in South Australian hospitals and, while it persists, track how many hours patients spend in corridors and publish the data online. State Liberal Leader Ashton Hurn said the public reporting would be a commonsense response to the growing concerns raised by nurses and the families of patients. “This week we have heard shocking reports of a granddaughter being told she couldn’t visit her 92-year-old grandmother at the Lyell McEwin Hospital because she was in a corridor,” Mrs Hurn said. “It’s shocking that this practice is continuing despite nurses describing it as unsafe. When the nurses on the frontline are saying this is a crisis that needs to be addressed, then the Government must listen and act. “We have also raised concerns in Parliament about the tragic case of Helen Sargent, who died in a corridor of the Royal Adelaide Hospital with limited access to emergency equipment.” State Liberal Leader Ashton Hurn said the public has a right to know about the scale of the practice, which has not been condemned by Labor. “Corridor care should not be standard practice in our hospital system, but if it’s going to continue under Labor then South Australians have a right to know how often it is happening and how long patients are spending in corridors,” she said. Shadow Minister for Health and Wellbeing Jack Batty said SA Health must publish the number of hours patients spend receiving care in hospital corridors, just as ambulance ramping data is reported. “Not only did Labor fail to fix ramping, but it also created an entirely new problem: corridor care,” Mr Batty said. “Premier Peter Malinauskas told South Australians to vote for him like their lives depended on it, and now we have patients being left in hallways. It is nothing short of a disgrace.” Media Contact: Ben Avery 0439 955 254 |
