Hundreds of mental health patients are being ramped outside the Royal Hobart Hospital for hours

Ambulances are being ramped for hours at a time every day as paramedics sit with mental health patients, an inquest has heard.

Joseph Lattimer was admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department on July 10, 2016, and died 11 days later. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

A HOBART paramedic has been “ramped” with hundreds of mental health patients awaiting admission to the Royal Hobart Hospital since mid-2016, sometimes for hours at a time, a court has heard.

An inquest into the death of Mornington man Joseph Lattimer, 37, who attempted to take his own life while waiting to be admitted to the hospital for psychiatric treatment, began in Hobart today.

The Coroners Court heard Mr Lattimer died on July 21, 11 days after he was placed in an induced coma.

Paramedic Andrew Sculthorpe told the court he and a colleague took Mr Lattimer to the Royal Hobart Hospital early on July 10.

Mr Sculthorpe said Mr Lattimer wanted help, was compliant and was not showing signs of immediate harm to himself, and the paramedics left Mr Lattimer in the hospital’s care.

Mr Sculthorpe said since shortly after Mr Lattimer’s death, paramedics have been required to wait with mental health patients until they are admitted, a practice known as ramping.

He said it was “very common now” for that to happen.

“There’d be one, two a shift, possibly. Sometimes none and sometimes you might get three or four in a row,” he said.

Ambulances ramped outside the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Mr Sculthorpe said that since the change, he had dealt with “hundreds” of such patients.

He said that before Mr Lattimer’s death, nursing staff at the hospital could ask paramedics to wait with a patient if there were concerns about the patient’s safety.

He said the change of procedure had improved safety for mental health patients.

“I have been ramped with patients up to 10 hours. That might not be a mental health patient, that could be a medical patient, but mental health patients are there for a long time as well,” Mr Sculthorpe said.

“Sometimes they’re processed very quickly, other times you can be there for a long time ... it can be hours.”

Mr Sculthorpe said he and his partner on the morning of July 10 were shocked to hear of Mr Lattimer’s suicide attempt.

The court heard Mr Lattimer arrived at the emergency department at 5.02am and a triage nurse assessed him as being an urgent case, requiring treatment within 30 minutes.

The nurse said she monitored Mr Lattimer, but after she triaged another patient at 5.44am, she realised Mr Lattimer was no longer in the waiting area.

Ms McTaggart told the nurse there was no criticism of her work and the way she dealt with Mr Lattimer.

The scope of the inquest, which continues tomorrow, includes the procedures for dealing with mental health patients and future resourcing for the hospital’s mental health services.

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