A grandmother has tragically died after allegedly being left in a hospital waiting room for nearly two days because there was no bed available.
Maria Osborn, 63, was taken to Blacktown Hospital with severe stomach pain about 5pm on November 16.
She was not admitted to a ward until about 4pm on November 18, after spending 44 hours waiting in a wheelchair in the emergency department.
After being transferred to intensive care the following morning, Maria died about 4.30am on November 20.
Speaking to 7NEWS, her husband of 45 years, Stephen Osborn, said he believes earlier treatment may have saved her life.
“It was septicemia in a bile duct. So if you had antibiotics earlier, it might have been a different story,” Stephen said.
He expressed anger at what he described as a system struggling to cope with demand.
“I feel angry for the staff down there and basically the population of Western Sydney.
“They’re bringing a lot more people in, and the staff are expected to be in two or three places at the same time. They just can’t cope.”
Stephen described the extended wait as distressing.
“Forty-four hours in a wheelchair in the waiting room. Sitting anywhere in a wheelchair for a long time is bad enough, let alone being in pain,” he said.
He said the waiting room was “bordering on chaos”.
“People live for all different reasons and there’s people lying on the floor and people trying to push chairs together to make beds out of them,” he said.
NSW Health said that during the waiting period Maria underwent tests and received medication.
Wearing Maria’s wedding ring on a necklace close to his heart, Stephen described her as artsy and family oriented.
“Maria liked going out for tea, having a few wines and playing the pokies,” he said.
“She was a family type of person so we always have big family functions and Christmas and Easter’s and birthdays and things.”
Stephen said overcrowding at the hospital has been an ongoing issue.
“If we went down there today, there’d still be people waiting from last night and the night before today, because they just can’t cope,” he said.
The family has lodged a formal complaint and is seeking further answers.
“They deserve transparency. They deserve answers,” NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said.
“It is long overdue we have a proper and thorough investigation into Western Sydney Health.”
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park acknowledged the strain on emergency departments.
“We know that we’ve got a large number of people, aged care residents, stuck in our hospitals and that means access to beds is a challenge,” he said.
Additional federal funding has been announced for Western Sydney hospitals, though authorities have indicated improvements will take time.
“Things have to be changed,” Stephen said.
Images: 7NEWS
