By Eleanor Wilson, Jamie Salter and Shelby Brooks
A Narre Warren woman is calling for a reform of the health system after waiting 12 hours in the emergency room at Casey hospital last week.
Ellise Burke was taken into the emergency department Tuesday night, 2 August via ambulance after she suffered a suspected head injury from an alleged assault at Westfield Fountain Gate.
“I was distraught, I felt alone, neglected and I couldn’t stop crying the whole time,” Ms Burke recounted of her ordeal.
Ms Burke said she was in the hospital waiting room for 12 hours until a doctor saw her around 7am the next morning.
“As soon as I was taken through, the doctor apologised and put a neck brace on me. I was thinking, ‘what’s the point after 12 hours?’,” she said.
“I get that the hospital system is crazy at the moment but to leave somebody in the amount of pain I was in has made it so much worse.
“I think there needs to be a huge change in every emergency department whether that’s more doctors, nurses or more beds.
“It was the worst experience I’ve ever been through. I had already been traumatised and this just added to that.”
Monash Health, which operates Casey Hospital, was contacted for comment.
In response to an enquiry about the incident by Star News a State Government spokesperson said across Australia and the world, health services continued to feel the effects of the pandemic, including Covid-19 cases and workforce shortages from sickness.
“Hospitals are also managing record demand, while treating far sicker patients who are staying longer after delaying care during the pandemic,” they said.
“While every effort is made to prioritise those with the most critical need, we understand it can be challenging when patients experience longer than expected wait times and we thank all Victorians for their patience and respect.
“A new 12-bed modular facility has recently opened at Casey hospital’s emergency department, providing more support for those needing urgent care and reducing ambulance offload times.”
Victoria’s health system is under unprecedented pressure, with hospital emergency department presentations pushing up to 486,701 in the last quarter – an increase of 5.1 per cent from the previous quarter.
The $12 billion Pandemic Repair Plan is providing health services with the support and reinforcements they need to get through this period of record-breaking demand and come out stronger on the other side, the State Government said recently.
The 12-bed modular facility at Casey Hospital’s emergency department is one of three modulars that have been established across metropolitan Melbourne emergency departments to help meet significant demand in the community for urgent care.
According to the Victorian Agency of Health Information, Casey hospital’s emergency department wait times were up from 147 minutes to 172 minutes in past 12 months, with Dandenong Hospital’s Emergency Department wait times up from 102 minutes to 134 minutes.
The median wait time at Casey has gone up from 33 minutes to 38 minutes, and for Dandenong, up from 24 minutes to 30 minutes.
