Mother Lauren Hicks turned away from King Edward Memorial Hospital months ago amid staff shortages

An expectant mother hoping to give birth at King Edward Memorial Hospital was told to go elsewhere in February amid chronic nurse shortages. Only mothers classified as “high-risk” were guaranteed a spot in the State’s leading maternity hospital which was short as many as 28 staff, The West Australian can reveal. Other women were sent to deliver their babies as far away as Joondalup and have told how the last-minute change caused them signifiant distress in the final stages of their pregnancy. Soon-to-be mums who are planning to give birth at KEMH, after receiving treatment there during their pregnancy, also said they were “nervous” and “afraid” about what would happen to them. It comes as KEMH this week experienced a “maternity bypass” where one woman was diverted to Osborne Park Hospital because there were not enough midwives to care for her at the Subiaco facility. Carlisle mother Lauren Hicks told how she was booked in to give birth at KEMH on February 27, but was told to go to Joondalup Hospital instead. The 35-year-old said she needed to have a scheduled birth and be induced because she was on blood thinners and had to put a pause on taking the medication two days before giving birth. “I called the hospital on the day and they said there were 11 people people on the list and I was ranked number seven,” Ms Hicks said. “I would have been classified as high-risk at any other hospital, but because there are a lot of high-risk pregnancies I was told to reschedule or go to Joondalup.” Ms Hicks said she decided to go ahead with the birth at Joondalup Hospital because she couldn’t see a doctor in time to find out whether she was safe to restart her medication. “It really worried me because I wasn’t sure what the plan was,” she said. But, when she arrived at the hospital, she said there was an issue with accessing her medical records. Ms Hicks ended up leaving hospital on the same day she gave birth as the distance to the hospital was too far from her home and her husband was not allowed to stay the night. “It was stressful, I’m glad it wasn’t my first baby or I would have been more distressed,” she said. North Metropolitan Health Service acting chief executive Tony Dolan blamed the diversion on midwives being sick and chronic nurse shortages. He said the hospital was short 28 staff and was looking at ways it could recruit new staff locally. Mr Dolan said 27 beds had also been closed as part of the hospital’s COVID management plan. Health Minister Roger Cook said mothers who wanted to choose where they gave birth should use private hospitals. “This is part and parcel of having a baby in the public hospital system,” Mr Cook said. “If you want to have your baby with specific obstetricians, the private hospital system is the place for you. “At KEMH, we all love to go there, I’ve had one of my kids there because we know it’s the very best in the State, but there are other hospitals around the State that provide a great level of care.” A KEMH spokesperson said no records had been kept to indicate how many women were turned away.