Vain wait in pain- Joanne and Danielle Bishop are worried that other community members could be left stranded without an ambulance because of problems with the system, while Liberal candidate Brad Bat

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
A SEVERELY ill Yarra Junction resident and her family were left waiting for an ambulance because the system failed her, and she is just one of many according to the latest Auditor-General’s report.
That report won’t change the experience of 18-year-old Danielle Bishop who said she was in so much pain on 6 April that she thought she was going to die.
Despite living five minutes from the Yarra Junction ambulance station, she was left screaming in agony for more than an hour while paramedics drove from Kilsyth and Yarra Junction’s on-call paramedics were left undisturbed.
Her family was horrified that Danielle was misdiagnosed by Ambulance Victoria’s code system, which determined the medical needs of a patient and response time for paramedics.
Her mother Joanne said Danielle was categorised as a code three, where an ambulance would attend within an hour, but a referral service called back wanting more details.
“We spent an hour calming her down and comforting her, and gave Danielle pain medication.
“Minutes after she had settled down in bed the ambulance arrived.”
The pain in Danielle’s abdomen was eventually linked to her gallbladder, which was removed in hospital on 15 April.
She wrote letters to Ambulance Victoria asking why an ambulance was not sent from Yarra Junction.
“They told us they were concerned somebody might be sicker, so they were hanging onto it and leaving it there. It didn’t turn a wheel all night,” Mrs Bishop said.
Mrs Bishop said the paramedics do an exceptional job when they arrive.
“Our local paramedics are some of the best in the state but we’ve only got one car here at night and for it to sit around the corner when somebody needs it for any reason is dreadful.”
“I’m confident the community would believe if they were sick an ambulance would be sent out, and Danielle’s proof that’s not the case,” Mrs Bishop said.
Ambulance Victoria’s communications and referral manager Danny McGennisken said: “An established medical triage system is used by call-takers to determine the patient’s condition. “In some cases the 000 caller is put through to an experienced paramedic for telephone consultation,” he said.
Mr McGennisken said other factors, including maintaining coverage of the community, would determine the most appropriate ambulance to send.
“This may not always be the closest,” he said. “We have visited the patient and her family to explain our processes and discuss their concerns.”