Melbourne families are being forced to take their loved ones to hospital as Victoria’s healthcare system continues to collapse under stress.
Ambulance Victoria issued a Code Red emergency last night amid critical staff shortages and a computer system crash.
“There are currently delays in ambulances reaching patients in the metropolitan city of Melbourne. If it is not an emergency, call NURSE-ON-CALL,” the patients urged.
Melbourne suffered ambulance delays last night. (Victoria Ambulance)
Suzi Kozul and her father, Vlatko, experienced the crisis first hand last night when, after Vlatko suffered a stroke, his local hospital advised Suzi to drive his father to Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“It’s heartbreaking. I just did what I had to do. I just didn’t want to wait,” Suzi told 9News.
“They can’t even get into the emergency or triage and stuff like that. So that’s why I just thought, you know what, let me take it myself.”
The first alert was issued for about an hour before another alert was issued saying that they had returned to normal operation.
9News understands that the triple-zero calling system also crashed, leaving call recipients back in pencil and paper.
One of Melbourne’s two main emergency hospitals, Royal Melbourne Hospital, received 250 patients in 24 hours.
Five ambulances were seen outside Royal Melbourne Hospital this morning. They were unable to leave because bunk beds are being used in the emergency room. (Today)
Danny Hill of the Victorian Ambulance Union says there were at least 70 ambulance cases pending overnight.
“Which means 70 cases where an ambulance was needed but none were available, so these patients are waiting in line,” Hill said.
Jody Torpy was among them.
The 27-year-old had chest pains and dizziness and was waiting for an ambulance.
“It was scary, I was scared. I wasn’t sure if he was going to die or if he was going to collapse. There was no one to help me and I just thought that all I could do was call a paramedic.” he told 9News.
Ambulance Victoria’s Lindsay Mackay says the “increase in hospital attendance” along with the “workload and demand pressures” made it all happen at the same time.
And he pushed “the system a little further.”
Royal Melbourne Hospital also experienced a shortage of beds in the emergency department, which persisted this morning with today’s journalist Christine Ahern capturing a video of ambulances ramping up the emergency bay.
He said they could not leave until they received their bunk beds, which are used as beds within the emergency service.
“Paramedics on the scene tell me they are waiting for their bunk beds because there are patients with bunk beds in the hospital corridors because there are currently no beds available in the emergency department,” Ahern said.
“This was supported by another Royal Melbourne Hospital nurse who told us this morning that there was a bed block, which means there were no ED beds available.”
Janice Rowe, recently widowed, said more needs to be done to fix Victoria’s plagued health care system. (new)
Rob, Janice Rowe’s 82-year-old husband, died Sunday of lung cancer.
Just a week earlier, he was taken to Box Hill Hospital, where he lay on a stretcher for six hours waiting to be evaluated for palliative care.
“There was a sea of people and faces,” he said.
“It was like a football crowd.
“There were people sitting in the rain under a tent.
“It’s not good to say it’s fixed. It’s not fixed.”