Young girl died in Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide with appendicitis after eight hour delay

The parents of a young girls whose appendix burst and left her in agony as she waited eight hours for treatment at an emergency ward have urged more funding for hospitals to prevent a looming tragedy.

Annabelle and David Oates took their seven-year-old daughter Audrey to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in March after their GP diagnosed her with acute appendicitis.

But they told reporters on Monday that she wasn’t examined by a doctor for six hours and waited another two- and-a-half hours before an emergency operation was performed.

Annabelle (pictured left) and David Oates (pictured centre) took their seven-year-old daughter Audrey to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in March after their GP diagnosed her with acute appendicitis 

‘She was arching her back and gritting her teeth and screaming – she was in extreme pain,’ Annabelle Oates said.

‘There were no staff around when it happened.

‘It put her health at risk. I think it was dangerous.’  

They also described how the emergency department was overcrowded with people standing in corridors with their children waiting to be seen, with the parents counting more than 60 people in a waiting area with a capacity of 30.

Mrs Oates said she felt really sorry for the doctors, nurses and staff because there weren’t enough of them to deal with the demand.

A seven-year-old’s has died after appendix ruptured as she waited for hours in a crowded hospital emergency department in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Adelaide (pictured) 

‘Audrey was able to get the surgery even though there was a delay,’ she said.

‘But you can imagine some family just turning away or not understanding things and you know their child could have died.

‘I don’t want that for anyone. I want the staff and the hospital to have the resources to be able to provide for the state of South Australia.’

Oates estimated Audrey had been diagnosed with acute appendicitis by a doctor at around 3pm that day and told to go straight to hospital.

Her appendix ruptured about 10pm, whereupon she was given stronger pain relief, and was admitted to surgery at 11.30pm.

The damage caused by the rupture required what one doctor described as ‘a nasty surgery’ and she had to stay in hospital for nine days.

‘Going through extreme pain is one (thing), but you don’t know whether she could have died or whether she could have had permanent injuries as a result,’ Ms Oates said. 

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital (pictured) said they launched an investigation several weeks ago and it was still underway 

In a statement, the hospital said a senior clinician had been in contact with the family and apologised for the delay in treatment.

The hospital said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the care of the child was launched several weeks ago and was still underway.

But Professor Warren Jones, a retired obstetrician and gynaecologist who has campaigned for better services at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said the case was a major dereliction of care in a system that was overloaded and dysfunctional.