Man dies after harrowing 26-hour wait in ER
A former nurse has vowed to "fight to the bitter end" to force change to Queensland's beleaguered health system after his father died following a 26-hour wait in an emergency department.
Neville Clayton died less than a week after he endured multiple heart attacks amid a traumatic wait at Ipswich Hospital as the state's bed shortage reached "crisis" point.
His son, Anthony, who worked as a nurse on the Gold Coast for close to 30 years said he was "disgusted" in the state's health system.
In March, a paramedic arrived at the family's Ipswich home 20 minutes after being called and said Neville would need to be transported more than an hour away to the Toowoomba Hospital because the local facility was at capacity.
But before the 67-year-old began the long journey west, an advance care ambulance team arrived and the man was transported to the Ipswich Hospital after protests from the patient's family, said Anthony.
The family said he waited in excruciating pain for an hour until a doctor admitted him into the emergency department where the long wait to be transferred to the specialist ward began.
With no coronary care beds available at the facility, Anthony said his dad suffered several smaller heart attacks in the time he waited for dedicated cardiac treatment.
It wasn’t until another patient suffering from a heart condition was transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane that a bed became available for Neville on Wednesday afternoon.
Five days after arriving at the hospital, Neville rang his wife in unbearable pain to say it “felt like a horse was laying on my chest”.
She let him know she loved him and that would soon be at the hospital and be by his side, but he passed 30 minutes after the call.
A spokesperson for the body responsible for the management of the Ipswich Hospital offered condolences to the Claytons and extended an invitation to “sit down and discuss his care”.
West Moreton Health insists Neville received clinical care and monitoring while waiting in the ED.
“The Ipswich Hospital emergency department is equipped with critical care monitoring and staffed by specialists, meaning patients continue to receive quality care within the ED while awaiting transfer to the ward,” the spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.
“If anyone has concerns, complaints or questions about their healthcare, including treatment options and outcomes, we want to hear from them. We improve how we deliver care through the ongoing review of our practices and procedures.”
Anthony applauded the tireless work of doctors and nurses, insisting “I blame the politicians and the health sector for not paying enough attention to these issues”.
“I’m very frustrated that these people are waiting on an ambulance bed or in an emergency room without being treated properly,” he said.