THE devastated family of a Toronto woman who died after waiting more than seven hours for an ambulance is still waiting for answers.
A month after lodging a formal complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC), Anthony and Karen France say the only updates they have had regarding the "unacceptably traumatic" death of their sister and sister-in-law have been via media reports.
Margaret France died 10 minutes after being admitted to Belmont Hospital on April 29 despite four separate calls to Triple Zero.
The 69-year-old grandmother was experiencing severe stomach cramps and chills with "uncontrollable shaking" when her friend and flatmate Neil Ellis first called for an ambulance at around 11.20am. As previously reported by the Newcastle Herald, Mr Ellis made three further calls as her condition worsened before an ambulance arrived about 6.45pm.
"By then she was pretty much unconscious," Mrs France said. "It was 10 minutes after she got to the hospital that she was pronounced dead. It is impossible to not keep dwelling on it. It is just heartbreaking."
The Lake Macquarie family said they were "shocked, horrified and devastated" to hear that Margaret had suffered for seven-and-a-half hours without pain relief while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
"Her friend Neil had to endure seven-and-a-half hours of hearing her screaming out in pain, of her screaming out 'help me'," Mrs France said. "After the third call he was told they were next in line for the next ambulance, but they still didn't get there for hours after that."
Mrs France said Mr Ellis had been "weighed down" with guilt that he had not tried to get her to hospital another way.
But each time he called Triple Zero, he was assured they were "in the system" and an ambulance would get there as soon as possible.
He had spent most of the day checking the street for the ambulance, and running back inside to console his friend.
"He told them: 'I don't know what death rattles are but I think I've just witnessed them'," Mrs France said.
Margaret had recently been hospitalised with septicaemia, but her death certificate says she died of "ischaemic and hypertensive heart disease". The family lodged a four-page submission to the HCCC in May. They also put questions to the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, and NSW Ambulance, which included a request for an apology.
Mrs France said the NSW Government's announcement it would fund more than 2000 new ambulance staff and open 30 more stations as part of a "record" $1.76 billion boost to frontline emergency care was like "throwing crumbs at a starving person".
"It is a system problem," Mrs France said. "Everybody knows it's a system problem.
"It's not just the paramedics, it goes to the ramping, it goes to the bed block in hospitals. I am tired of the pandemic being used as an excuse - COVID is just highlighting the inadequacies that were already there."
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he was "very aware" of the sad circumstances of Margaret's death.
"I extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mrs France.
"As the passing of Mrs France will be investigated by the NSW Coroner it is not appropriate for me to comment on the particular issues.
"But in a general comment I note that the one in one hundred year COVID pandemic and subsequent pressures have seen the staff of NSW Ambulance working extremely hard attempting to respond to substantially more calls per day than ever before."
Mr Hazzard said the NSW Government had responded to these "unprecedented pressures" by announcing this week that more than 2000 additional NSW Ambulance staff will be employed to "help keep our community as safe as possible."
"Furthermore I look forward to the recommendations of the Coroner which would assist in the operations of what will be the biggest Ambulance Service in Australia," he said.
