Woman left to ‘bleed out’ in Ipswich Hospital hallway as wait times rise

A woman in her 50s left to “bleed out” in a hallway and an elderly woman “vomiting everywhere” while waiting for medical assistance — these are the faces of Ipswich’s growing health crisis.

As hospital wait times and ambulance ramping intensifies in the city of Ipswich, a local woman has claimed she was left to “bleed out onto the floor” of the emergency department for hours without any medical attention.

Kym Trades, 53, suffers from endometriosis and has two large masses on her ovaries that have sent her to Ipswich Hospital numerous times over the past eight years.

But it was Ms Trades’ most recent experience at the public health facility that she said traumatised her to a point where she no longer felt comfortable attending any hospital, no matter how dire the circumstances.

The Brassall woman said it was about six months ago when she experienced pain so excruciating, and she was haemorrhaging so badly, that she was rushed to Ipswich Hospital in an ambulance.

Ipswich Hospital. Picture: File

Upon their arrival, about 9.30pm, Ms Trades said the hospital ramp was “full” of ambulances, paramedics, and their patients.

She said paramedics waited with her for some time, before putting her in a wheelchair and taking her to the emergency department. She said they told her they were “so sorry” before they left her in the corridor.

“They took me to the emergency department but there was no waiting area,” Ms Trades said.

“All the chairs were taken up. There were people laying on them.

“From the front door to the back door … people were just lined up.”

She said she sat in a wheelchair in the hallway for 2.5 hours waiting for medical assistance, “bleeding out onto the floor” the entire time.

“I could barely open my eyes I was so fatigued,” she said.

“It was quite horrifying.”

Kym Trades said she was left to 'bleed out' for 2.5 hours while she waited at Ipswich Hospital for medical assistance. Picture: Supplied

Ms Trades said her son was with her at the time and was quite distressed, regularly going up to the front desk to remind staff of the urgency of his mother’s situation.

“They gave my son a pad and told me to go to the toilet and sort myself out,” she said.

“Blood was all over the floor and toilet.”

She said her son was told to use paper towels to clean up the blood.

Meanwhile, Ms Trades said a “poor old lady” in her 70s or 80s sat near her on the floor “vomiting everywhere” while she too waited to receive medical attention.

Ambulances ramped at Ipswich Hospital. Picture: Facebook / David Crisafulli MP

After hours of intense pain and feeling like she was going to “pass out”, Ms Trades said she went home to rest. She said the whole ordeal was embarrassing and scary.

“I was so scared sitting there thinking, ‘am I going to get Covid?’ and ‘am I going to bleed out?’,” she said.

“I was thinking, ‘if I go home, am I going to die there?”

Ms Trades got very little sleep that night, bleeding and vomiting, before returning to the hospital about 6am the following day; at the time, she said, she was recommended to attend by paramedics so that she would have the best chance of seeing a nurse or doctor.

She said her experience the following morning was great, but it should not have taken her leaving and returning to the hospital to receive the treatment she so desperately needed.

Ms Trades’ story comes as startling new statistics showed southeast emergency departments at Logan, Redland, Ipswich, Moreton and Gold Coast hospitals were all also struggling to attend to thousands of emergency cases within the regulated 10-minute time frame.

West Moreton Health Chief Operating Officer Matthew Tallis said the service would not comment on individual cases such as Ms Trades’, but “we are always concerned when we hear that a patient has had a poor experience”.

“While demand for our services is growing apace with the rapid population growth in our region, we are continuing to provide a safe service at our hospitals,” he said.

“While we endeavour to treat all patients in a timely manner, we will always attend to the most seriously ill and injured patients first.

“We would encourage any patients who are concerned about their treatment to contact our consumer liaison team.”

Originally published as Woman left to ‘bleed out’ in Ipswich Hospital hallway as wait times rise