The tragic passing of Eddie Fitchett, a 54-year-old Adelaide man, has cast a stark and harrowing light on the healthcare crisis gripping South Australia (SA).

Fitchett, who lived with a disability, passed away following a distressing 10-hour wait for an ambulance at his Hectorville care home on December 27, despite desperate pleas for help through three emergency calls.

The incident has not only left his family in profound grief but has also sparked outrage and a demand for accountability from the state government.

The 'gentle giant,' as he was affectionately known, suffered from severe abdominal pain and vomiting, symptoms that required urgent medical attention.

However, a Code White had been declared that night, indicating that emergency departments across Adelaide were inundated, leading to a backlog of ambulances unable to offload their patients.

Eddie Fitchett passed away after waiting 10 hours for the ambulance to arrive. Source: Pixabay/Pexels

A video shared by the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) on social media depicted a line of at least 10 ambulances queued outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital, visually underscoring the dire situation.

Initially classified as a priority five case, Fitchett should have been attended to within 60 minutes according to the union's standards.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until his condition worsened and he was reclassified to priority one that an ambulance was dispatched—arriving four minutes later, but by then, it was too late.

The family's anguish has been directed towards SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, with Fitchett's aunt Brenda delivering a poignant and scathing message: 'Mr. Malinauskas, you promised South Australia you were going to fix ramping. You’ve failed,' she declared.

Her words resonate with a community that has been promised improvements and solutions to the ramping issue, which reached unprecedented levels in late 2023.

Despite claims from authorities that response times for priority cases generally met target ranges, the Fitchett case has highlighted the catastrophic consequences when the system fails.

Health Minister Chris Picton, facing calls for his resignation from the opposition, has stated, 'We continue to take every possible action that we can because it’s so important that we prevent other circumstances like this happening in the future.'

In the wake of this tragedy, the premier's office has extended an invitation to meet with Fitchett's family, which has been declined thus far.

The AEA's Industrial Officer, Josh Karpowicz, has emphasised that Fitchett's passing is a 'stark reminder' of the dangers of ramping, leaving patients 'without care for unacceptably and dangerously long periods of time’.

An internal review of ambulance operations has been initiated, but for many, this is a small step in addressing a much larger systemic issue.

7News Australia reported about the review here:

​

SA Ambulance Service Chief Executive Rob Elliott has urged the public to maintain their trust in emergency services, saying, 'I really want people to have confidence in a medical emergency. Please reach out to us.'

At the SDC, we extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt thoughts to Fitchett's family during this challenging time. May he rest in peace.

Key Takeaways

• Eddie Fitchett, a disabled man from Adelaide, died after waiting 10 hours for an ambulance following repeated calls for help due to abdominal pain and vomiting.
  
• The Fitchett family has criticised SA Premier Peter Malinauskas for not fixing the issue of ambulance ramping, which has reached record highs.
  
• Despite ramping issues, authorities claim response times to priority cases have been within the targeted ranges.
  
• An internal review into ambulance operations is underway, and the Ambulance Employees Association highlights the dangerous long waiting periods patients face due to ramping.
  

What changes do you believe are necessary to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

[Nelg]

The tragic passing of Eddie Fitchett, a 54-year-old Adelaide man, has cast a stark and harrowing light on the healthcare crisis gripping South Australia (SA).

Fitchett, who lived with a disability, passed away following a distressing 10-hour wait for an ambulance at his Hectorville care home on December 27, despite desperate pleas for help through three emergency calls.

The incident has not only left his family in profound grief but has also sparked outrage and a demand for accountability from the state government.

The 'gentle giant,' as he was affectionately known, suffered from severe abdominal pain and vomiting, symptoms that required urgent medical attention.

However, a Code White had been declared that night, indicating that emergency departments across Adelaide were inundated, leading to a backlog of ambulances unable to offload their patients.

View attachment 39037

Eddie Fitchett passed away after waiting 10 hours for the ambulance to arrive. Source: Pixabay/Pexels

A video shared by the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) on social media depicted a line of at least 10 ambulances queued outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital, visually underscoring the dire situation.

Initially classified as a priority five case, Fitchett should have been attended to within 60 minutes according to the union's standards.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until his condition worsened and he was reclassified to priority one that an ambulance was dispatched—arriving four minutes later, but by then, it was too late.

The family's anguish has been directed towards SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, with Fitchett's aunt Brenda delivering a poignant and scathing message: 'Mr. Malinauskas, you promised South Australia you were going to fix ramping. You’ve failed,' she declared.

Her words resonate with a community that has been promised improvements and solutions to the ramping issue, which reached unprecedented levels in late 2023.

Despite claims from authorities that response times for priority cases generally met target ranges, the Fitchett case has highlighted the catastrophic consequences when the system fails.

Health Minister Chris Picton, facing calls for his resignation from the opposition, has stated, 'We continue to take every possible action that we can because it’s so important that we prevent other circumstances like this happening in the future.'

In the wake of this tragedy, the premier's office has extended an invitation to meet with Fitchett's family, which has been declined thus far.

The AEA's Industrial Officer, Josh Karpowicz, has emphasised that Fitchett's passing is a 'stark reminder' of the dangers of ramping, leaving patients 'without care for unacceptably and dangerously long periods of time’.

An internal review of ambulance operations has been initiated, but for many, this is a small step in addressing a much larger systemic issue.

7News Australia reported about the review here:

​

SA Ambulance Service Chief Executive Rob Elliott has urged the public to maintain their trust in emergency services, saying, 'I really want people to have confidence in a medical emergency. Please reach out to us.'

At the SDC, we extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt thoughts to Fitchett's family during this challenging time. May he rest in peace.

Key Takeaways

• Eddie Fitchett, a disabled man from Adelaide, died after waiting 10 hours for an ambulance following repeated calls for help due to abdominal pain and vomiting.
• The Fitchett family has criticised SA Premier Peter Malinauskas for not fixing the issue of ambulance ramping, which has reached record highs.
• Despite ramping issues, authorities claim response times to priority cases have been within the targeted ranges.
• An internal review into ambulance operations is underway, and the Ambulance Employees Association highlights the dangerous long waiting periods patients face due to ramping.

What changes do you believe are necessary to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If the government don't know or understand the problem that has been there for more than 12 months by now, they should not be in government. The public are sick of hearing that when something goes wrong we will have to have an Inquiry, call for Reports and have Reviews, what a cop out BS excuse. They know what wrong, so does the public, so why don't they fix it. We will remember it at the ballot box next election.

 

[RTS]

Australia's population grows, but the facilities needed to service the extra people aren't provided. The federal government makes the call on how many migrants enter Australia, so they should provide the funding for more hospitals, schools and housing.

 

[Col@45]

Australia's population grows, but the facilities needed to service the extra people aren't provided. The federal government makes the call on how many migrants enter Australia, so they should provide the funding for more hospitals, schools and housing.

Absolutely !!

 

[marni]

Australia's population grows, but the facilities needed to service the extra people aren't provided. The federal government makes the call on how many migrants enter Australia, so they should provide the funding for more hospitals, schools and housing.

The increase in population has so many drawbacks. Schools, teachers, police, utilities, housing, roads, medical staff, importation of food, electricals, cars, The list goes on and all they think about is the increase to the business owners and the profit. I believe that Albo thinks they will be so grateful that they will all be future Labour voters, so importing the future of the Australian Government. Those already here are the ones suffering

 

[AlanQ]

Australia's population grows, but the facilities needed to service the extra people aren't provided. The federal government makes the call on how many migrants enter Australia, so they should provide the funding for more hospitals, schools and housing.

the Feds do increase funding to the States for health services, doesn't mean 100% of the money allocated to the State(s) goes into the State health services.

 

[Clancieblue]

Why couldn't a paramedic have been dispatched to assist him until the ambulance arrived. He needed medical assistance not nursing care. He was in an aged care facility.

 

[Liz]

I am very sorry for this gentleman and his family. However, it is not only in South Australia, I know ambulance ramping is happening here in Queensland as well. It has been going on not just with Labor Governments but with Coalition governments as well. Stop bringing in so many migrants and concentrate on fixing the infrastructure needed for our current population. I know we have agreements to take so many students to Universities but the number seems to be growing exponentially. Up here in my area, the number of Asian students is large. And my other pet peave is the number of southerners coming up to Queensland and making the housing situation much worse and rentals. You seem up to 50 people or more waiting outside units in my area trying to get one unit. I suppose it is the same in other States but we again haven't got the infrastructure to deal with this many people.

 

[Squizzy1]

The tragic passing of Eddie Fitchett, a 54-year-old Adelaide man, has cast a stark and harrowing light on the healthcare crisis gripping South Australia (SA).

Fitchett, who lived with a disability, passed away following a distressing 10-hour wait for an ambulance at his Hectorville care home on December 27, despite desperate pleas for help through three emergency calls.

The incident has not only left his family in profound grief but has also sparked outrage and a demand for accountability from the state government.

The 'gentle giant,' as he was affectionately known, suffered from severe abdominal pain and vomiting, symptoms that required urgent medical attention.

However, a Code White had been declared that night, indicating that emergency departments across Adelaide were inundated, leading to a backlog of ambulances unable to offload their patients.

View attachment 39037

Eddie Fitchett passed away after waiting 10 hours for the ambulance to arrive. Source: Pixabay/Pexels

A video shared by the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) on social media depicted a line of at least 10 ambulances queued outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital, visually underscoring the dire situation.

Initially classified as a priority five case, Fitchett should have been attended to within 60 minutes according to the union's standards.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until his condition worsened and he was reclassified to priority one that an ambulance was dispatched—arriving four minutes later, but by then, it was too late.

The family's anguish has been directed towards SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, with Fitchett's aunt Brenda delivering a poignant and scathing message: 'Mr. Malinauskas, you promised South Australia you were going to fix ramping. You’ve failed,' she declared.

Her words resonate with a community that has been promised improvements and solutions to the ramping issue, which reached unprecedented levels in late 2023.

Despite claims from authorities that response times for priority cases generally met target ranges, the Fitchett case has highlighted the catastrophic consequences when the system fails.

Health Minister Chris Picton, facing calls for his resignation from the opposition, has stated, 'We continue to take every possible action that we can because it’s so important that we prevent other circumstances like this happening in the future.'

In the wake of this tragedy, the premier's office has extended an invitation to meet with Fitchett's family, which has been declined thus far.

The AEA's Industrial Officer, Josh Karpowicz, has emphasised that Fitchett's passing is a 'stark reminder' of the dangers of ramping, leaving patients 'without care for unacceptably and dangerously long periods of time’.

An internal review of ambulance operations has been initiated, but for many, this is a small step in addressing a much larger systemic issue.

7News Australia reported about the review here:

​

SA Ambulance Service Chief Executive Rob Elliott has urged the public to maintain their trust in emergency services, saying, 'I really want people to have confidence in a medical emergency. Please reach out to us.'

At the SDC, we extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt thoughts to Fitchett's family during this challenging time. May he rest in peace.

Key Takeaways

• Eddie Fitchett, a disabled man from Adelaide, died after waiting 10 hours for an ambulance following repeated calls for help due to abdominal pain and vomiting.
• The Fitchett family has criticised SA Premier Peter Malinauskas for not fixing the issue of ambulance ramping, which has reached record highs.
• Despite ramping issues, authorities claim response times to priority cases have been within the targeted ranges.
• An internal review into ambulance operations is underway, and the Ambulance Employees Association highlights the dangerous long waiting periods patients face due to ramping.

What changes do you believe are necessary to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

There is no way I would wait 10hrs if a member of my family were in excruciating pain, particularly knowing the extent to which the service is stretched, just negligent and foolish.

 

[Bridgit]

I don't care if this man was in a " care home" or not - if family were there then they should have gotten him into a car and taken him to the hospital. If they were not there they should have been contacted and given the option - it is called thinking outside the square! To wait for 10 hours to get help is bad enough but to allow it to happen is worse - people have to step up and do what needs to be done to get medical needs attended to. I have stepped in and insisted on taking someone to a hospital - we put them in the back of our stn wagon on a mattress and had someone in with them and I drove like a maniac 45 klms to the hospital - they knew we were on our way and were there when I pulled in - we saved her life by taking control of the situation. Oh sure some were unhappy but bugger it this was an emergency and we were it - so to speak. There is no way I will wait more than 30mins - I would get help with getting the person into a car and take them myself - no matter the argument for waiting for professionals.

 

[Gunpark]

This all starts at Federal Level and neither Party is blameless. The rate of migrants has to be cut and quickly. A lesson can be taken from the rules for estate developers. The infrastructure has to be in place before the houses are built and it should be in place before migrants get here. Where does the money come from you ask? Let us start with the enormous retirement packages paid to politicians from the Prime Ministers down. It is exorbitant compare to private enterprise as are the perks in retirement. If political retirees did not go out and get a wonderful job at a great salary, it would not be so bad. The whole rort has to be looked at and by a bunch of reasonable people not ex-politician or bureaucrats.

 

[Gunpark]

This all starts at Federal Level and neither Party is blameless. The rate of migrants has to be cut and quickly. A lesson can be taken from the rules for estate developers. The infrastructure has to be in place before the houses are built and it should be in place before migrants get here. Where does the money come from you ask? Let us start with the enormous retirement packages paid to politicians from the Prime Ministers down. It is exorbitant compare to private enterprise as are the perks in retirement. If political retirees did not go out and get a wonderful job at a great salary, it would not be so bad. The whole rort has to be looked at and by a bunch of reasonable people not ex-politician or bureaucrats.

 

[June E]

My deep condolences to this man’s family . He should not have suffered for so long Without being seen. previous governments going way back are to blame for so much lack of foresight ! I’m in QLD and lost my husband almost 11 years ago, ambulance ramping was happening here then, and it’s just got worse.
These previous governments did next to nothing in foreseeing the future,or they did and passed th buck ! If they keep bringing people in without putting infrastructure in first Australia will become a 3rd world country! So many are already living in tents! This was the lucky country I968 when I came here. I don’t think many call it that now.

 

[Jarred Santos]

I don't care if this man was in a " care home" or not - if family were there then they should have gotten him into a car and taken him to the hospital. If they were not there they should have been contacted and given the option - it is called thinking outside the square! To wait for 10 hours to get help is bad enough but to allow it to happen is worse - people have to step up and do what needs to be done to get medical needs attended to. I have stepped in and insisted on taking someone to a hospital - we put them in the back of our stn wagon on a mattress and had someone in with them and I drove like a maniac 45 klms to the hospital - they knew we were on our way and were there when I pulled in - we saved her life by taking control of the situation. Oh sure some were unhappy but bugger it this was an emergency and we were it - so to speak. There is no way I will wait more than 30mins - I would get help with getting the person into a car and take them myself - no matter the argument for waiting for professionals.

What a hero @Bridgit! You saved a life that day!

 

[Vinylted]

I am very sorry for this gentleman and his family. However, it is not only in South Australia, I know ambulance ramping is happening here in Queensland as well. It has been going on not just with Labor Governments but with Coalition governments as well. Stop bringing in so many migrants and concentrate on fixing the infrastructure needed for our current population. I know we have agreements to take so many students to Universities but the number seems to be growing exponentially. Up here in my area, the number of Asian students is large. And my other pet peave is the number of southerners coming up to Queensland and making the housing situation much worse and rentals. You seem up to 50 people or more waiting outside units in my area trying to get one unit. I suppose it is the same in other States but we again haven't got the infrastructure to deal with this many people.

The problems are similar in all states, ramping especially bad also in Victoria.

 

[Clancieblue]

I don't care if this man was in a " care home" or not - if family were there then they should have gotten him into a car and taken him to the hospital. If they were not there they should have been contacted and given the option - it is called thinking outside the square! To wait for 10 hours to get help is bad enough but to allow it to happen is worse - people have to step up and do what needs to be done to get medical needs attended to. I have stepped in and insisted on taking someone to a hospital - we put them in the back of our stn wagon on a mattress and had someone in with them and I drove like a maniac 45 klms to the hospital - they knew we were on our way and were there when I pulled in - we saved her life by taking control of the situation. Oh sure some were unhappy but bugger it this was an emergency and we were it - so to speak. There is no way I will wait more than 30mins - I would get help with getting the person into a car and take them myself - no matter the argument for waiting for professionals.

It's a bit harsh to judge when you weren't there. Maybe his disability made it not possible to move him.

 

[Vinylted]

Another thought, surely care homes have access to local doctors in an emergency situation OMG if you lived way out in the bush you'd get the Flying doctor quicker than that..