‘Chaotic’: New image from Sydney’s crisis-stricken Blacktown Hospital

A new image has emerged of a woman sleeping in her car while waiting for emergency treatment at one of Australia’s busiest hospitals.

A woman claims she was forced to sleep in her car while waiting at the emergency department at Blacktown Hospital. Picture: 2GB

A new image has been revealed of a woman claiming to have been forced to sleep in her car while waiting for emergency treatment at a western Sydney hospital, less than a day after a 70-year-old man was pictured sleeping on the floor.

Released by Ben Fordham on Wednesday, the images purport to show a woman, identified as Anna Maria, who told the 2GB host that she had slept in her car while waiting for emergency department staff at Blacktown Hospital.

“Anna Maria says, a week ago, I was taken to Blacktown Hospital with a bowel obstruction,” Fordham said.

“I waited 24 hours in the waiting room because there were no beds.

A woman claims she was forced to sleep in her car while waiting for emergency treatment at Blacktown Hospital. Picture: 2GB

“I was so tired that my husband parked the car out the front of the ED so I could lay down and have a rest while the staff are doing their best to manage a chaotic situation.”

Earlier, Hayley Leatham posted photos to Facebook of her father, Raymond, lying down behind a row of chairs at Blacktown Hospital with a bag under his head.

Ms Leatham said the photos showed the “sad reality of our public health system”, and her father had waited more than 24 hours with life-threatening low haemoglobin.

The Western Sydney Local Health District, which oversees Blacktown Hospital, said in a statement on Wednesday it had reached out to Raymond to “sincerely apologise”.

A 70-year-old man was forced to lie on the floor while waiting at Blacktown Hospital. Picture: Facebook / Hayley Leatham

“Raymond has expressed his thanks for the quality of care he received from the hardworking staff at Blacktown Hospital,” a spokesperson said.

“All patients are seen and triaged on arrival at the ED with the most seriously unwell patients treated first.”

The spokesperson acknowledged that it “can be challenging for people” when they were made to “wait longer than they expect in an ED”.

“We thank the community for their patience during periods of high demand,” they said.

The spokesperson urged anyone with non life-threatening injuries to call Healthdirect, as hospital visitations surged over the winter months.

Nurses at the hospital have been hit hard by the winter surge. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Blacktown Hospital branch vice-president Jess Kybert said the situation at the hospital was the worst she had ever seen.

Speaking as a member of the union, she said staff were burnt out amid an unprecedented surge in cases over winter, an always busy period for hospitals.

She said that while not allowed to let patients sleep on the floor, “the horrific thing is the floor becomes the next best option” due to a lack of beds.

The incident also sparked political mudslinging between the Labor state government and the Liberal-Nationals opposition in NSW.

Premier Chris Minns lay significant blame at the feet of the former Coalition government, though admitted more needed to be done.

Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane called for an ‘urgent review’ into the situation at Blacktown Hospital. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane on Wednesday called for an “urgent review” into the situation at Blacktown and Westmead hospitals.

“Western Sydney is under enormous pressure,” the Vaucluse MP told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“They have unique needs across our state, high areas of chronic illness, diabetes is the highest in the nation.

“In those areas, we’ve got big migrant populations, and Covid exacerbated this.

“So, I’m not saying there are easy answers, but we need to make a start.

“We need to have a review that begins at Blacktown Hospital.”

Originally published as ‘Chaotic’: New image from Sydney’s crisis-stricken Blacktown Hospital