Residents alarmed at ambulance wait times

ULVERSTONE residents say the sight of a woman lying in the doorway of a post office for two hours provided a public display of concerns over Ambulance Tasmania wait times.

Shoppers say they saw the woman lying hurt in Reibey St on Monday at about 10am and were shocked when she was still there hours later.

Former police officer Tony Spaulding said he was told an ambulance had been called at 10am after the woman fell. It is understood she had hurt her arm.

“She was still laying there after 12.30pm. We just couldn’t understand what the delay was. It seemed so bizarre and pretty concerning really,” he said.

An Ambulance Tasmania spokesman said it operated under nationally consistent triage protocols which ensured patients needing lifesaving emergency medical intervention were prioritised.

“While patient safety is a priority and we will always try to respond to cases as quickly as possible, unfortunately longer waits can occur when paramedics are attending to multiple cases that are a higher medical priority,” he said.

Another resident with concerns about the local ambulance services is Jill Ponsonby who sat with her 82-year-old mother for seven hours on Sunday waiting for help.

Her mother had swollen feet. She could not stand up and bear her weight. The ambulance was first called just after 10.30am.

“I didn’t want to move her because I didn’t know what was wrong,” Ms Ponsonby said.

A GP ended up speaking to Ambulance Tasmania on her behalf and paramedics arrived at 7.15pm and took the woman to hospital, where she remains.