Ambulance workers and executives are meeting daily to try and resolve their pay dispute, as the Victorian government investigates an unprecedented incident in a hospital corridor. or signup to continue reading Specialist paramedics were called to treat a cardiac patient inside a hospital corridor on Tuesday because the emergency department was full. The situation unfolded at Maroondah Hospital, in Melbourne's east, when ramped paramedics were forced to call an ambulance themselves after attempts to admit their patient failed.
Victorian Health Minster Mary-Anne Thomas said she has asked for a full investigation into "exactly what happened". "I've never heard anything like this before and it was very concerning to me," she told reporters at parliament on Wednesday. "I have made it very clear to both Eastern Health and Ambulance Victoria that I want to know exactly what has gone on here so we can do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't happen again.
" The patient was "doing well" and ultimately did not require admission to hospital, Ms Thomas said. Premier Jacinta Allan echoed Ms Thomas' concerns, saying "protocol was not followed in this instance". Ambulance Victoria chief executive Andrew Crisp said an intensive care ambulance responded under lights and sirens to treat the patient in the hospital corridor.
Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the incident demonstrated the "extreme crisis" unfolding in the Victorian health system. "It's a cardiac patient, it's category two. They need to be assessed and treated within 10 minutes, and that did not happen," she said.
An Eastern Health spokesperson said staff were working "under a great deal of pressure" and encouraged those with non-urgent conditions to seek alternative care options. Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the incident provided insight into conditions faced by paramedics. The patient had been waiting for 40 minutes with an irregular heartbeat, chest pain and palpitations, he said.
"We've seen more and more paramedics' role not being respected," he told AAP. "Their role is that they're an emergency service ..
. responding to medical emergencies. "Hospitals should be required to prioritise ambulance offload, so paramedics can get back onto the road to respond to emergency cases.
" It comes as Mr Crisp said he was taking more than seven weeks leave for an overseas holiday, just days after being appointed to the top job. His leave comes amid paramedics' protracted industrial dispute over hospital ramping, pay and conditions. Mr Crisp said the dispute was a priority, with daily meetings underway to try and resolve the issue.
"The fact that we are meeting now every day would indicate that we can proceed to a resolution," he said. Mr Hill said the union had been involved in several meetings this week with negotiations moving at "a faster pace". "But as far as the overall package .
.. there's still a lot more bargaining that has to be done.
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