Ramping ‘Major Factor’ in Deadly 10-hour Ambulance Wait

Emergency responders “under-appreciated” the risk to a vulnerable patient who died after a 10-hour ambulance wait, a review of the incident has found. Suffering intense abdominal pain and vomiting, an ambulance was called for Eddie, a 54-year-old man living in disability care in Adelaide’s east, on Dec. 27. He was initially listed as a priority five, which should have resulted in a pick up within 60 minutes, but Eddie waited for 10 hours. After his condition deteriorated, a subsequent call to triple zero resulted in him being bumped up to priority one. Ambulance crews arrived within four minutes, but by then it was too late....