The ACT Government has admitted a breakdown in infection control protocols at Canberra Hospital after a confirmed measles case was not isolated on arrival, raising concerns about potential exposure in the emergency department.

Details revealed through a response to a question taken on notice by Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith show escalation processes failed, with “competing operational priorities” blamed for alerts not being issued to the nursing navigator and triage team.

As a result, emergency staff were not properly prepared and the patient entered a general waiting area instead of being immediately isolated, despite measles being a highly contagious airborne disease.

ACT Opposition Leader and Shadow Health Minister Mark Parton said the admission pointed to a serious failure in the system.

“This is a textbook failure of the system. When a suspected measles case presents, there is one job: identify early and isolate immediately. That did not happen,” Parton said.

“The government can’t hide behind process language; this was a failure at the front door of our hospital system.”

The minister’s response also indicated that while notifications were sent to the emergency department, public health officials and an infectious diseases consultant, protocols were not enacted immediately, highlighting a breakdown in communication.

Parton said reliance on masks and personal protective equipment missed the key issue, with isolation the primary safeguard for diseases such as measles.

“If infection control protocols only work when the hospital isn’t busy, then they don’t work at all,” he said.

He said questions also remained over how long the patient was in a shared waiting area, with conflicting accounts yet to be clarified.

The Canberra Liberals have called for an independent review into the incident, along with measures including mandatory pre-alert protocols, real-time digital health record alerts, guaranteed isolation capacity and greater public transparency.