Julia Osborne has been calling her hospital every day to find out if there's a bed free for her.
The Perth woman is battling an aggressive form of leukaemia, and needs chemotherapy every 21 days.
That treatment is more than a week overdue, because she has been told there are no beds available for her at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
"I have to call every day at 11 o'clock, call up to the ward, and basically beg for a bed," she said.
"They say more often than not, 'no there's no room, there's no bed, please call again tomorrow'."
Ms Osborne said she asked if she could try another hospital, in the hope of receiving her chemotherapy sooner — but was told 'everywhere is the same'.
"It worries me that I'm not getting the chemo on time, because it's a complex disease," she said.
"My fear is that these delays are going to compromise my treatment, and therefore compromise my health."
'It feels like I'm slipping through the cracks'
Ms Osborne said she believed not enough was being done to address issues in the state's health system.
"Last time I was on the ward, I'd press the button for the nurse, it would be a 20 minute, half-an-hour wait for the nurse to come," she said.
"The poor nurses have too many patients to look after, they can't do it physically."
As she waited for her next treatment, Ms Osborne said her life had been in limbo.
"It feels like I'm slipping through the cracks almost," she said.
"Everyone should be entitled to decent treatment on time, and it's not happening."
A North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) spokesperson said in a statement that due to patient confidentiality, they were unable to comment on any detail regarding specific episodes of patient care.
"However, NMHS acknowledges that cancer care areas are facing challenges with their patient flow and that these challenges mean some patients are rescheduled for their treatment," they said.
"We understand that the delay in cancer care is difficult for the patient and their family but we can reassure our patients that we make every effort to ensure that time critical cancer treatments are delivered on time."
The spokesperson said models of care were continually being reviewed for improvement.
The Australian Medical Association of WA said it was unacceptable for patients to have delayed treatment when that treatment was critical.
"The medical system we have currently is inadequate in its capacity to deal with demand," AMA WA president Mark Duncan-Smith said.
"WA has world-class doctors and nurses, but they're not working in a world-class system."
Dr Duncan-Smith said the system had been "kept in austerity for too long".
"That's led to a compromise in safety and quality, and that's the price we're now paying."
AMA supportive of nurses and midwives
As action from WA nurses and midwives escalates amid negotiations with the state government over pay and conditions, Dr Duncan-Smith said the AMA respected the rights of ANF members to take industrial action.
"We have to look at the long-term sustainability of the health system, we have to look at the reward for nurses, we have to look at the quality of their working environment, the safety of their working environment," he said.
"All of those parameters have to be improved, and the AMA will support the ANF.
"Clearly, it cannot go to the point where patient safety is compromised."
Around 2,000 nurses and midwives gathered at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre this week at a stop work meeting, voting to demand a 10 per cent annual pay rise, along with pushing for other changes including implementing nurse-to-patient ratios.
Members also agreed to begin industrial action that will expand with each week, moving through stages from a ban on double shifts up to closing one in five beds, then indefinite strike action.
Australian Nursing Federation secretary Janet Reah said at the event nurses and midwives had reached breaking point.
"Over the last five years of this government being in power, there has been a decline in recruitment, reduction in wages in real terms, increase in our workloads, and the final blow to this workforce has been the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.
"Now is the time to tell the government 'stop, no more'."
Premier Mark McGowan has ruled out meeting the increased pay rise demand, but said the government was working with the nurses' union in relation to ratios.
Health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson called on nurses to stand down from their "extraordinary industrial action".
MacTiernan defends health system, minister
Cabinet minister Alannah MacTiernan said the government was working hard to make sure the state's health system was effective.
"I do think we've got a fantastic health system," she said.
"It doesn't mean to say that at any stage health systems don't have their pressure points, but I think if you compare our health system to those around the world, we are doing pretty well."
Ms MacTiernan said many people who went through the WA health system had positive stories to tell about their experience.
"It doesn't mean every problem is solved, but we have a very determined minister who is working very hard to strengthen our system," she said.
