Mulwala's Peter George concerned for health system after saga to get wife treated in hospital

Peter George's wife, Anne, was discharged from the base hospital on Wednesday morning after a 10-night stay when she was admitted with dangerously low blood pressure, caused by the effects of medications and cancer treatments.

Mrs George, 67, is undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy for a tumour which she was diagnosed with in 2020 and resurfaced last month.

Mr George phoned triple zero at around 8.30pm on Saturday, March 12, after his wife was unable to stand herself up after she used the toilet.

He was told to expect delays for an ambulance but hadn't heard back until after midnight, so he decided to call again and was told paramedics were in Yarrawonga and would be sent his way.

When the ambulance arrived at around 1.30am, Mr George claimed paramedics told him they couldn't take his wife to Yarrawonga Hospital as it didn't accept ambulances after 10pm, while a transfer to Albury was also out of the question as it was outside their jurisdiction.

Yarrawonga Health was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline. Northeast Health Wangaratta has the closest emergency department to Yarrawonga and Mulwala, while Shepparton's Goulburn Valley Health is a similar distance to Albury Wodonga Health in terms of travel time.

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"I don't have any beef with the individuals, I've got nothing but sympathy for them. I do have a beef when we're told the hospital system is not under stress," Mr George said.

Mr George said the paramedics used their equipment to help Mrs George into the front seat of the family car before he drove her to Albury for treatment, which was followed by a lengthy wait in the emergency department

"The problem Anne had was whenever she stood up her blood pressure dropped to dangerously low levels, that's why she couldn't stand or anything," Mr George said.

"Here she is at two in the morning in the pitch dark sitting up in the car with me on the drive from Mulwala to Albury.

"We got into the waiting room of the emergency department in Albury about 3am and I think it was two-and-a half hours later that we got seen.

"They are so stretched at the emergency department. There was a young mother who was waiting six hours before someone saw her baby."

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said "it matters deeply to us when we don't meet the community's expectations" in response to the delay faced by Mrs George.

"We have contacted Mr George and are working with him and his wife to better understand what happened," the spokesperson added.

Albury Wodonga Health interim chief executive Janet Chapman said the health service continued to experience significant emergency demand after reports of ambulance ramping delays, otherwise known as bed block, this week.

"We expect these high presentation numbers to continue with patients having delayed or avoided medical care during the pandemic," she said.

"We stood down the Code Yellow earlier this week as its immediate objective, to address the critical risk for the safety of patients presenting to our emergency departments, had been met and continuing to operate within an emergency framework was not necessary.

"The calling of the Code Yellow facilitated a number of initiatives which remain in place to ensure we continue to maintain delivery of safe patient care in an environment of ongoing heightened demand.

"I would like to acknowledge the incredible work of our staff and our health partners during periods of high demand, and their ongoing efforts in ensuring that patients are treated as quickly as possible."

An Australian Paramedics Association spokesperson said bed block had been an ongoing issue for paramedics and the health system across NSW.

"This means those patients are waiting extended periods to get the care they need," a spokesperson said.

"It also means that patients who have called triple zero will be waiting longer for an ambulance because resources are tied up at hospitals.

"In regional areas such as Albury, often the ambulances travel from other towns. When they are stuck in bed block those communities are often left without any ambulance at all."

The APA revealed at one NSW station, a third of the ambulances designated for one zone of the state were stuck in bed block.

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