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Devastated friends and family have demanded answers after an elderly man suffered a painful and lonely death while waiting hours for an ambulance.
Neighbours called triple-zero at around 2am on Sunday after hearing Philip Burne’s cries for help following a nasty fall.
A shortage of resources meant paramedics were unable to reach her home in Surrey Hills, west of Melbourne, until 6am.
But by then, it was too late.
Mr Burne, 69, was a regular at Ringwood RSL, where friends gathered for a pint in his honour on Monday.
But they are also angry at the thought that her tragic death could have been avoided if more Victorian Ambulance crews had been on the road on Saturday night.
At least 50 pieces of equipment across the state were out of service during the shift due to a large number of paramedics on sick leave.
“Four hours is ridiculous,” said one colleague. Nine news.
Philip Burne died after waiting four hours for an ambulance on Sunday morning.
At least 50 units across the state were out of service during the shift due to a large number of paramedics on sick leave.
“He was one of us.”
David Jamieson, another member of the club, added: “It’s pretty horrendous that someone finds themselves on the floor of a house and has to wait four hours for an ambulance to arrive and have no one to call.
‘In the case of the older cohort, they rely on emergency services to ensure their health needs are met.
“When it fails, it can be catastrophic, as it was in this case. It’s very sad and, frankly, we all need to do better.”
Ambulance Victoria has launched an investigation into Mr Burne’s death, which will be referred to the coroner.
“Demand is high at the moment but we are prioritising our care for the sickest and most vulnerable patients in the community,” Ambulance Victoria acting chief executive Danielle North told reporters.
“We certainly experienced an increase in personal leave over the weekend; the level we received was unpredictable.”
By the time the ambulance arrived at Mr Burne’s home (pictured), it was too late.
Questions have been raised over Ambulance Victoria’s failure to activate a code orange, which would have triggered additional measures to assist paramedics.
The massive shortage has left overworked paramedics “exhausted and burnt out”, according to Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill.
“There will always be more absenteeism, more people out sick when crews don’t get their meal breaks, they don’t finish their shift on time, their workload is out of control,” he said.
She previously described Mr Burne’s death as “incredibly sad” not only for his family but for paramedics who want to be able to help patients.
He also admitted that the tragedy could have been avoided.
“But with resources so limited and the workload as it is, it has become simply impossible,” Hill told the Herald Sun.
You can never predict what would have happened if the paramedics had arrived sooner.
“But by all accounts he was screaming, so it is expected that the situation could have been very different if we had reached the gentleman in time.”
