Blackbutt mother Renee Kelso says she's been left "scarred" after her recent experience trying to get her adult son treatment at Wollongong Hospital.
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Her experience comes amid increasing concern, from health workers as well as patients, that the state's health system is under-resourced and struggling to cope with demand.
On Monday the Illawarra Shoalhaven sub-branch of the Health Services Union's ambulance division raised concerns about bed block at Wollongong hospital, sharing a photo of at least six ambulances stuck in bays while their patients awaited beds inside the emergency department.
Ms Kelso says she called Triple Zero on Monday night, when her son's fever spiked and he was left lying motionless on the floor, complaining of a sore throat and unable to properly breathe.
At least six times, the paramedic told me that if we were to take him to hospital he would just sit in a COVID isolation box on a chair, so he'd be better off staying at home in bed.
- Renee Kelso
While her son was displaying symptoms of COVID, two RAT tests had come back negative and Ms Kelso believed a COVID infection was unlikely as he was vaccinated and had already had the virus.
Worried he could have meningitis or another severe infection, she says they waited more than 30 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. When it did, she says paramedics repeatedly indicated that her son would be better not being transported to hospital.
"The ambos were telling us that it was so busy at the hospital and really discouraging us to go," she said.
"At least six times, the paramedic told me that if we were to take him to hospital he would just sit in a COVID isolation box on a chair, so he'd be better off staying at home in bed.
"I ended up managing him through the night by setting alarms and checking on him."
NSW Ambulance said paramedics had "carried out a comprehensive assessment on the patient which included administering medication".
"NSW Ambulance records show that the patient declined transport to hospital against the advice of paramedics," a spokesperson from Ambulance Media said.
"The paramedics then arranged a referral so the patient could be seen by a GP the following day."
When her son was no better 24 hours later, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and was complaining that he could not swallow or move his neck, Ms Kelso phoned Triple Zero again and says she was told an ambulance couldn't come.
"They said after talking to me and talking to him, that we could have a phone consultation with a nurse in an hour," she said.
"I hung up and decided to drive him myself to hospital."
NSW Ambulance said the service had received a Triple Zero call and was told that the patient was suffering from an elevated temperature and aches.
"The call was transferred to a registered nurse at HealthDirect," the spokesperson said.
"Triple 0 calls that are triaged as not immediately life-threatening, but may require further medical assessment, are transferred to a Registered Nurse at Healthdirect. The Registered Nurse will ask further questions, provide medical advice or may identify other pathways for more appropriate treatment of the patient."
This is health system and hospital system that is at real crisis and COVID has been a real tipping point but it's been under pressure for a long time.
- Ryan Park, Labor's health spokesman
After a four-hour wait in the COVID-19 isolation area at Wollongong Hospital, Ms Kelso's son was seen by a doctor, who treated him for dehydration and a severe throat infection.
"He had a severe bacterial throat infection, and was told by a doctor that his body had been going into complete shock because his bacterial levels had been so high," Ms Kelso said.
"It was nothing to do with COVID, but they'd been so concerned with all these COVID symptoms that he wasn't treated. It should have been dealt with on Monday night - and then he wouldn't have been in pain for two days - and this is where I thought the failure was."
"I was sitting there feeling like I didn't know what to do, I'd called Triple 0 and there was no help. It leaves me scarred, because next time I have to call, I'm going to be so frightened that I'm not going to get the help I need."
North Wollongong resident Graham Parsons also contacted the Mercury this week to complain of long waiting times in the emergency department and "the state of our hospital system".
After having an accident where an extension ladder fell off the top of a four-wheel drive and hit him in the head, Mr Parsons was sent to the emergency department by his doctor because he had ongoing pain and a suspected fracture.
"I waited for approximately 7.5 hours to see a doctor, all I saw were two registered nurses, one who told me that the staffing and the hospital system were a joke," he said.
"I left after that and went home."
Mr Parsons was sent back to the emergency department by his doctor on Tuesday, and said he was again left waiting for more than four hours.
Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park said he consistently heard from health workers, patients and families that they were worried the health system wasn't coping.
"These are stories unfortunately that we hear every other week," he said.
"This is a health system and hospital system that is in real crisis and COVID has been a real tipping point but it's been under pressure for a long time."
Following the union's reports of bed block earlier this week, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District confirmed the emergency department experienced higher presentations over the past week, with many patients requiring a high level of care.
Northern Illawarra Hospital Group general manager Nicole Sheppard asked that the community consider whether a GP or other health service may be more appropriate before visiting the emergency department.
"On arrival at the Emergency Department (ED), patients are allocated to one of five triage categories, based on urgency, and patients who are the most critical are treated as a first priority," she said.
"This triaging process occurs regardless of whether the patient is a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case or whether they arrived via Ambulance or by attending the ED themselves.
"During periods of peak demand, patients with less serious conditions may have to wait longer while patients with more urgent needs are treated first.
"If your illness or injury is not serious or life-threatening please consider visiting a medical centre, your GP or contact HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 anytime (24 hours, 7 days a week) for free health information and advice."
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
