A 69-year-old man died in Melbourne’s east, Victoria over the weekend after a four-hour wait for an ambulance.
The wait time has been attributed to a staff shortage. According to the Victorian Ambulance Union (VAU), 90 crews were working in Melbourne that night, compared to the usual 120.
Ambulance Victoria has launched a review and will refer the case to the Coroner for further inquiries.
Context
The neighbour of a Surrey Hills man contacted Triple Zero on Saturday night.
It took around a four-hour wait for an ambulance to arrive at the home in Melbourne’s east, Victoria.
In that time, the 69-year-old man had passed away.
Staff shortage
The VAU attributed Saturday night’s ambulance shortage to high levels of sick leave. It said there were 30 fewer crews available in Melbourne, and 20 fewer in rural Victoria.
The union said: “Multiple crews calling for Intensive Care back up [were] told none are available.”
In one case, the closest ambulance to a patient in Melbourne’s CBD was around 50km away.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson confirmed its workforce had been affected by “seasonal illness”.
Ambulance Victoria said its “priority will always be responding to the sickest and most time critical patients.”
One in five Triple Zero calls don’t require an ambulance. Patients are encouraged to consider other health services for less-urgent matters.
VAU Secretary Danny Hill said the union has “been warning about the need” for “better support” for workers.
“[Paramedics] rarely get breaks, almost never finish on time and they are exhausted and burnt out. So, this is the reality we are facing,” he said.
