Patient connected to IV drip in CAR as hospital system accused of 'third world' failure

A patient was left connected to an IV drip in her car for 24 hours while waiting for ugent treatment, forcing officials at an embattled hospital to offer an apology.

Patient Anna-Marie was left hooked up to a drip in the car park at Blacktown Hospital in Sydney, Australia, for 24 hours in the latest of a series of episodes that have seen the centre subject to intense criticism. She was seen sitting in the drivers' seat at Blacktown Hospital after hours waiting in the emergency department.

She required urgent medical care for an obstructed bowel, and reports state she also waited an entire day for a bed to become available. Politicians dubbed the situation a “third world system" with Western Sydney Local Health District forced to apologise after an image of the woman's ordeal was made public.

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A spokesperson said: “We have contacted Anna-Marie to sincerely apologise for the wait time she experienced at Blacktown Hospital. The health and safety of our patients is our top priority. All patients presenting to our ED are seen and triaged on arrival, with the most seriously unwell patients treated first.

“To help manage demand, Western Sydney Local Health District has additional nursing staff dedicated to the Blacktown ED waiting room to increase clinical oversight, an ED Short Stay Unit to provide short periods of ongoing treatment and observation, and an Urgent Care model that fast tracks management of less urgent patients.”

“Despite sustained high demand for emergency care, nearly three in four patients started treatment on time in NSW (74 per cent), the highest of any other state or territory and well above the national average (67 per cent). We welcome feedback from our patients, carers and consumers at any time and remain committed to listening to and involving them in evaluating our health care services.”

It comes days after reports a 70-year-old man resorted to lying on the hospital floor as he awaited treatment for severe diarrhoea. Another 80-year-old man was also seen using the ground as a makeshift bed as the situation in the country worsens. Premier Chris Minns was week accused of under-investing in western Sydney hospitals.

Hospital overcrowding is not an issue exclusive to Australia. In the UK, a record 518,000 people waited 12 hours or longer in A&E after medics decided to admit them - nearly 400 times more than in 2015. Shocking research at the start of the year underlined Britain's issues.

The analysis, by the Liberal Democrats, also revealed a sharp rise of more than 100,000 12-hour trolley waits on 2023’s figure of 415,000 - a jump of 25%. It comes as grim reports emerged on Sunday that a hospital has advertised for nurses to take on 12-hour "corridor care" shifts amid "very significant pressure" in its A&E department.

Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokeswoman Helen Morgan branded the findings “shocking” and said corridor care was being “normalised”. “It is a scandal that corridor care is becoming normalised with thousands of patients left on trolleys for hours or even days on end,” she said. “We are seeing shocking and dangerous long waits in hospital corridors, putting patient lives at risk and leaving staff struggling to cope."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said in January: “It is shocking that corridor care has become a normal feature in our hospitals. Despite the best efforts of staff, patients are receiving unacceptable standards of treatment. In our first six months, we've ended the strikes so staff are on the frontline not the picket line, introduced the new RSV vaccine, and we have vaccinated more people against flu than last winter. It will take time to fix our broken NHS, but it can be done.”