SHE CRIED IN PAIN… BUT HELP CAME TOO LATE! – Elderly woman d:ies after paramedics took nearly three hours to arrive at Melbourne home
The 98-year-old’s personal alarm automatically called triple-0, with operators reporting the woman was crying in pain.
Elderly woman dies after three-hour ambulance delay
A 98-year-old woman has died after paramedics took nearly three hours to reach her Melbourne home, sparking a full review by Ambulance Victoria.
The elderly woman suffered a fall inside her home at Hoppers Crossing just before 5am on Friday.
She was wearing a personal alarm which automatically called triple-0, with call-takers reporting the woman was crying in pain.
Despite the distress call, paramedics didn’t arrive until after 7.30am. Tragically, they were too late.
Triple-0 has confirmed its operator notified Ambulance Victoria instantly after receiving the alert.
Ambulance Victoria says its paramedics were busier than usual overnight, causing delays across the network.
But the organisation has admitted it triaged the case as code three, meaning non-urgent.
Ambulance Victoria CEO Jordan Emery said a review would be conducted.
“Whilst a code three response is not an unusual allocation for patients who experience falls, we really need to undertake that review process and understand if that coding took place correctly,” he said.
The personal alarm company is also under fire after allegations it failed to notify the woman’s emergency contacts.
Neighbour Jill Sheridan said she was on the woman’s emergency contact list but received no notification.
“We’re on the list for if she does fall or anything like that. I don’t know whether I’m first on the list or what, but yes, there was nothing on our phones,” she said.
Police have referred the case to the coroner.
