+34
When Harry Jones got his foot caught in a soccer net and broke both bones in his lower leg, his family says he should have been taken directly to a metropolitan hospital. Instead, he spent hours at a regional hospital then endured a painful journey by private car.
Tori Briggs and her fiancee, Harry Jones, made the decision to move hospitals by private car. A soccer player with a broken leg was taken to a regional hospital that was not equipped for the orthopaedic surgery he required.
A spokesperson for SA Ambulance says the the decision to take Mr Jones to the hospital at Victor Harbor was made to ensure he would receive the "quickest medical care and quick access to appropriate pain relief options.
" The family of a soccer player injured in a game believe the decision to take him by ambulance to the closest regional hospital led to unnecessary pain and delayed surgery. After waiting hours at Victor Harbor's South Coast District Hospital for an ambulance transfer, Harry Jones made the 70-kilometre dash to a metropolitan hospital in the back seat of a car.
Mr Jones, the captain of the senior men's team at the Southern Breakers Football Club, was injured during the last game of the season. Harry Jones is the captain of the Southern Breakers senior men's team and started playing soccer with the club at the age of five. He caught his right boot in the goal net while trying to stop an opposition strike and landed awkwardly, breaking both bones in his lower left leg.
Painful wait for surgery Club trainer Peta Haldane, an experienced registered nurse and a nurse practitioner in training, administered first aid to Mr Jones while they waited for an ambulance. Peta Haldane says it was obvious Harry Jones needed to be a transferred to a hospital equipped for complex orthopaedic surgery.
She said it was obvious he had a complete fracture to both bones in his lower leg and should have been taken straight to Flinders Medical Centre since the closest hospital, Victor Harbor's Southern Fleurieu Health Service, was not equipped to deal with the level of orthopaedic surgery he needed. Supplied: Anna JonesHis fiancee, Victoria Briggs said Mr Jones was in "excruciating pain" as he was X-rayed. He then waited for a transfer to FMC.
She said staff advised them they could be waiting another four to five hours for an ambulance and there was "no guarantee" he would be transferred that day. According to Ms Briggs, a staff member told them "if it was them" they would use a private car to move him. She took this advice and transferred Mr Jones herself, with the help of his mother, so he could undergo surgery that same day as his leg was continuing to swell.
Tori Briggs transported Harry Jones to the Flinders Medical Centre in the back seat of this car with the help of his mother. Ms Briggs and Ms Haldane have urged the health minister to consider Mr Jones's experience and the delays and pain he experienced. They have also raised concern for others on the Fleurieu needing orthopaedic surgery, questioning if they could be sent straight to a metropolitan hospital.
"The paramedics were fabulous. All the hospital staff have been wonderful … but something needs to change,"Gordon Scott says most people would have made the same decision to drive a loved one themselves. Mr Jones's coach, former police officer Gordon Scott, backed Ms Briggs and Ms Haldane's call for a review. He said someone undertaking a car transfer themselves for an injured loved one could emotionally compromise their driving.
"If you're being told there's no patient transport available to transport your loved one for several hours and a better option is to take them in your private car then you're probably going to take that option,"A spokesperson from SA Ambulance said the ambulance crew had made the decision to take Mr Jones to the Victor Harbor hospital to "ensure the patient would receive the quickest medical care and quick access to appropriate pain relief options".
"The SA Health ambulance destination policy looks at a range of considerations, one of which is transport to an 'appropriate and geographically closest' hospital, as well as other considerations such as the patient's immediate health care needs, demand on individual hospitals etc," they said in a statement. "These decisions are made by appropriate healthcare professionals, depending on the patient's individual needs. "Email address
Transfer Southern Breakers Flinders Medical Centre South Coast Hospital Victor Harbor
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Matty Johns Breaks Down as Knights Stun Panthers in Preliminary FinalMatty Johns broke down on live TV after Newcastle Knights' epic preliminary final win over Penrith Panthers at Accor Stadium, despite playing with 12 men.
Read more »
Nathan Cleary Suffers Compound Fracture After Hip-Drop Tackle; Phoenix Crossland Referred to NRL JudiciaryNathan Cleary broke his leg in Penrith's preliminary final loss to Newcastle after a hip-drop tackle by Phoenix Crossland, who has been referred straight to the NRL judiciary.
Read more »
Phoenix Crossland referred to NRL judiciary for hip-drop tackle that broke Nathan Cleary's ankleNewcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland has been referred straight to the NRL judiciary after being sent off for the hip-drop tackle that broke Penrith star Nathan Cleary's ankle, likely ending Crossland's grand final hopes.
Read more »
Nathan Cleary suffers compound fracture to left leg in Panthers preliminary final loss to KnightsNathan Cleary broke his lower left leg in a compound fracture during Penrith's preliminary final defeat to Newcastle, and experts say recovery could range from six months to career-ending.
Read more »