Woman’s eight-hour ambulance wait slammed

A woman suffering suspected spinal injuries was left waiting for hours overnight as paramedics dealt with an ‘extremely high workload’.

A retiree suffering suspected spinal injuries was left waiting eight hours for an ambulance as paramedics dealt with an ‘extremely high workload’.

Linda Stratford was rushed to Laidley Hospital by her husband Don after falling from a horse on the couple’s Hatton Vale property on January 17.

After arriving about 5.30pm doctors, suspecting Mrs Stratford had suffered neck and spinal injuries, put her in a brace and ordered an ambulance transfer about 8pm to the much larger Ipswich Hospital for further scans.

However, the 66-year-old retiree was left waiting until 4.25am the next morning before an ambulance eventually arrived.

Mr Stratford, who waited with his wife until 10.30pm, was furious she waited eight hours for the transfer.

Linda Stratford was left waiting eight hours for an ambulance at Laidley Hospital as paramedics dealt with an ‘extremely high workload’.

“When I was at the hospital with her up until 10.30 they kept saying an ambulance is supposed to be coming,” he said.

“To have her laying there for eight hours on her back with suspected spinal injuries is ridiculous.

“I’m so cranky this has happened to my poor wife.”

Mr Stratford, 77, said he went home for dinner before ‘nodding off’ and waking at 3.30am to hear she was yet to be transferred.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said the paramedics were dealing with an “extremely high workload of serious cases”.

“It’s all about prioritising the vulnerable members of the community,” he said.

“This person (Mrs Stratford) was in hospital care and stable.”

Mrs Stratford was eventually discharged from Ipswich Hospital about 11am with no serious injuries.

Mr Stratford praised the effort of ambulance paramedics but said the state government should spend more funding the service.

“There are not enough bloody ambulances on the system,” he said.

“The government needs to pull its finger out and do something about it.

“Someone has to shake the system because it’s letting people down big time.”

A spokesman for Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the government would inject a record $989m for Ambulance Services this financial year.

“This is funding extra personnel throughout Queensland,” he said.

“Since 2014-15 we have grown the QAS workforce from 3222 people to 4000 in 2019-20.

“Our record investment in ambulance services will help to fund an extra 475 ambulance workers in Queensland over the next four years.”

Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the eight-hour wait was “unacceptable”.

“The government must urgently address ambulance wait times before more Queenslanders are left behind in their time of need,” she said.