Some Bendigo ambulances are waiting several hours for a free bed at Bendigo Health, with one paramedic describing the experience as "the single most demoralising" in his career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bendigo paramedic Daine Stephenson says he has been "ramped" for an "average of two to three hours" while waiting to transfer a patient into a hospital bed.
"An ambulance waiting at hospital is an ambulance that can't respond to the community," he said.
"Nothing frustrates me more than knowing the community is calling for help and I can't respond, or I have colleagues who need assistance and I'm stuck at hospital."
Victoria's ambulance union has drawn attention to ramping at major hospitals as part of a current industrial campaign, with ambulances turning their lights on after waiting more than 40 minutes.
'I hold my breath at each job that comes in'
A Bendigo Health spokesperson said initiatives like direct ambulance admission to the short stay observational unit and early morning patient discharges were part of a commitment to reduce wait times.
"Ambulance Victoria and Bendigo Health are working diligently to ensure that our services meet the growing demand and prioritize the care of our communities," they said.
Mr Stephenson said extended wait times went beyond Bendigo Health, and painted a picture of a fatigued healthcare system.
"Ultimately the community suffers at the hands of a broken system," he said.
Time spend waiting in hallways also affected how Mr Stephenson felt about his role in the community.
"When I am sitting in the hallway over night-time I hold my breath at each job that comes in," he said.
"Hoping it's not my family or friends who are calling for help with no answer."
Victorian paramedics were subject to a combined 800 hours of incidental overtime everyday, which was partly as a result of excessive hospital wait time, Mr Stephenson said.
"We aim to support each other by managing our own fatigue," he said.
"We'll supervise and assist our colleagues' patients while they step away and grab some water or use the hospital facilities ... we are fully reliant on each other."
Not an 'Ambulance Victoria versus hospitals thing'
Bendigo based mobile intensive care ambulance paramedic Rick Morton, currently on secondment at the Victorian Ambulance Union, said the industrial action was not an "Ambulance Victoria versus hospitals thing".
"We work really closely alongside a lot of the ED staff and we see how hard they're working and how much strain they are under," Mr Morton said.
"[The industrial action] is highlighting a health system issue ... every hospital, not just Bendigo."
Mr Morton said in the last six months he had to wait around two-and-half hours for an intensive care bed.
"That's essentially three hours with no intensive care [bed] for all of Central Victoria," he said.
The Bendigo Health spokesperson said efforts including the Bendigo Priority Primary Care Centre and as well as a nurse in the Emergency Department to monitor patients aimed to speed up patient transfer.
Other hospital initiatives like the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department and the Better at Home virtual care program would reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, the spokesperson said.
Increased workloads, wage disputes and a "risk-adverse" dispatch system led to Victorian paramedics starting industrial action on Monday, March 18.
