Elderly woman dies after delayed ambulance response in Melbourne
Consensus Summary
An elderly woman in her late 90s died in her Melbourne home after waiting about 2–3 hours for paramedics to respond to a fall on Friday morning. Both The Age and ABC report the incident occurred around 7.30am, with police confirming the death is not suspicious. Ambulance Victoria will review the case, which involved delays in communication between the medical alarm company, Triple Zero, and paramedics. The woman had lived independently at the property for over 30 years. Previous reviews highlight systemic failures in Victoria’s emergency response, with at least 12 deaths linked to ambulance delays between October 2021 and May 2022. The Age also notes 20 deaths since 2020 and 33 deaths between December 2020 and May 2022, while ABC focuses on the 12 deaths in the later period. Funding for upgrades differs, with The Age citing $101.9 million and ABC reporting $333 million invested in 2022.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A woman in her late 90s died in her home in Melbourne’s west after waiting about 2–3 hours for paramedics on Friday morning.
- The death occurred about 7.30am on Friday after paramedics arrived at the scene.
- The woman had lived at the property for more than 30 years.
- Victoria Police confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious and will prepare a report for the coroner.
- Ambulance Victoria will conduct a review of the incident, including communication between the medical alarm agency, Triple Zero Victoria, and Ambulance Victoria.
- At least 12 people died in Victoria while waiting for an ambulance between October 2021 and May 2022.
- The Triple Zero system was overhauled in 2022 following failures.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The woman’s personal medical alarm triggered a response about 4.30am on Friday, with call-takers hearing her crying out in pain.
- Fire Rescue Victoria staff gained entry to the home after paramedics arrived but were initially unable to access the property.
- In 2022, The Age revealed cases where it took almost six minutes for a Triple Zero call to connect, and the government allocated $101.9 million to upgrade Triple Zero Victoria’s infrastructure.
- In 2023, it was reported that at least 20 people had died waiting for an ambulance since 2020.
- A previous review found 33 Victorians died from emergencies linked to delays in answering calls between December 2020 and May 2022.
- The woman’s fall occurred in her Hoppers Crossing home on Friday morning, with paramedics attending approximately two hours after the initial call.
- Triple Zero Victoria stated there was no delay in answering or actioning the alarm company’s call, which was referred to Ambulance Victoria’s secondary triage services team.
- $333 million was invested by the government in 2022 to improve the Triple Zero system and hire more call-takers.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Age states the woman waited almost three hours for paramedics to arrive, while ABC states the wait was about two hours.
- The Age reports $101.9 million was allocated in 2022 for Triple Zero upgrades, but ABC states $333 million was invested in the same year.
- The Age mentions 33 Victorians died from emergencies linked to delays between December 2020 and May 2022, while ABC only references 12 deaths in the period from October 2021 to May 2022.
Source Articles
Woman, 98, found dead at home after near three-hour wait for paramedics
A Triple Zero call was made after the woman had a suspected fall at her home in Melbourne’s west, but paramedics failed to arrive for hours and follow-up phone calls went unanswered.
Elderly woman dies after two-hour wait for Victorian ambulance
The Ambulance Victoria service says it was under a period of significant demand when it received a Triple Zero call alerting it to the emergency.