Wilma Wippell’s grieving husband Michael says ‘we’re not blaming anyone but it’s the system, how do we fix the system?’

The death of a 94-year-old woman in Wangaratta who spent two hours in excruciating pain on a concrete floor has sparked a call for action.

Glenda Black (right) with her mother Wilma Wippell who died after waiting for an ambulance on a concrete floor.

Glenda Black said her 94-year-old mum spent more than two hours in “excruciating pain” on a concrete floor as she waited for an ambulance.

Wilma Wippell had fallen when she tried to get out of bed and hit her head on a cupboard as she went down.

Ms Black said they arrived at her nursing home within minutes and were told an ambulance was 20 minutes away.

“We had to keep trying to rouse her to keep her awake,” she said.

Glenda Black holds a photo album of her beloved mother Wilma Wippell. Picture: Abby Walter

The initial message given to Wilma Wippell’s family was that an ambulance was 20 minutes away.

However she spent more than two hours in ‘excruciating pain’ on a concrete floor.

“The nurse called several times and we kept being told an ambulance was 20 minutes away.”

More than two hours later a patient transport vehicle arrived but medics were not able to help.

Ms Black said they radioed an ambulance, which arrived about 10 minutes later.

She travelled with them and her mum to the Wangaratta hospital, where Wilma – a grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of 14 – died the following day.

Ms Black said the failings were “frustrating”.

Wilma Wippell was a grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of 14.

She died the day after her fall.

“To spend her last hours of life on the floor is not very nice,” she said.

Her husband Michael said it was very upsetting.

“We’re not blaming anyone but it’s the system, how do we fix the system?” he said.

The family was informed that there were no available ambulances to help sooner.

Ms Black said she hoped there would be more resources and more staff in the future to prevent something like her mum’s experience from happening again.

“We need better clarification between call takers and callers because I heard the nurse explain everything that was happening but that wasn’t getting through at the other end,” she said.

Originally published as Wilma Wippell’s grieving husband Michael says ‘we’re not blaming anyone but it’s the system, how do we fix the system?’