A paramedic involved in the care of a man who died after being ramped outside of the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) has described his rapid deterioration as a “frantic situation”.
Erin Pankoke today gave evidence in a coronial inquest into three ramping-related deaths.
Ms Pankoke and Stacey White were the paramedics who responded to Bernard Anthony Skeffington’s wife’s call for assistance in September 2021.
Mr Skeffington, 89, waited in an ambulance for an hour and 43 minutes outside the hospital before being taken inside to the emergency department in peri-arrest.
His condition deteriorated in hospital and he died four days later, shortly after being transferred to comfort care.
Ms Pankoke told the court she had updated the triage nurse at the RAH of Mr Skeffington’s condition and was told to “come and get them” if the situation further escalated.
When Ms Pankoke came back to the ambulance after updating the triage nurse for a second time, she said she found another paramedic and an intensive care paramedic assisting Ms White with Mr Skeffington.
“We really wanted to escalate his care … we were really concerned that he was deteriorating quite rapidly in front of our eyes,” she said.
Ms Pankoke said when she returned to the ambulance, it was clear Mr Skeffington had “drastically deteriorated”.
“He just wasn’t talking at all … I remember it being quite a frantic situation.”
Ms Pankoke said Ms White was “visibly upset” at what had happened, while she felt anguish for her colleague and Mr Skeffington.
“Stacey and I were quite upset about the deterioration of the patient in our care,” she said.
“I was distressed for the both of them having to be on their own while I went inside to escalate his care and that I wasn’t able to assist them both.
“I often will drive past the units where [Mr Skeffington] lived and think of him.”
On Tuesday, Ms White had told the inquest she had to bang on the ambulance vehicle’s windows to get help from nearby paramedics while Ms Pankoke alerted triage staff of Mr Skeffington’s deteriorating situation.
“I had to bang on the window a few times before I could get the attention of somebody,” she said.
“It was quite distressing.”
The inquest, which is also investigating the deaths of Anna Panella and Graham Jessett, continues.
