Coroner finds long ambulance waits contributed to two Darwin deaths

Two Darwin patients waited hours for ambulances before they died, with the Northern Territory coroner finding that the delays contributed to their deaths.

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage examined the deaths of three patients aged between 75 and 89 who died in January and February. In two cases, a forensic pathologist identified delayed treatment as a factor contributing to death.

An 80-year-old man collapsed at home on February 7 and waited six hours after emergency services were called at 8:12am. His family found him bleeding from the head and unable to move safely. St John NT was short one crew, and every available emergency unit had already been assigned to higher-priority cases.

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Every available emergency unit was already committed to higher-priority cases.

The forensic pathologist concluded that the man’s more than six-hour wait on the floor contributed to his death. The coroner said St John attributed the delay to simultaneous higher-acuity demand and limited access to appropriate ambulance resources, rather than an incorrect priority allocation.

The next day, nursing home staff found an 89-year-old woman on the floor after a fall. They called an ambulance at 2:06pm. She remained there until 6:45pm, when staff moved her to a wheelchair. Paramedics arrived at about 7:08pm and found her agitated and verbally disturbed. A CT scan showed five broken ribs and a collapsed lung. She died at Royal Darwin Hospital 11 days later.

The coroner said St John had prioritized several other incidents because they were more serious or because the patients were not being monitored by health professionals. St John NT said patients across the territory should continue to expect delayed responses because the service lacks sufficient resources.

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The long lie of over six hours caused by the ambulance delay contributed to this man's death.