Thursday, 26 May 2022

Northeast Health Wangaratta

Mr McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (17:20): (6394) My adjournment this evening is to the Minister for Health, and the action that I seek is an independent investigation into the treatment of Mr James Newton by Northeast Health Wangaratta and the Victorian ambulance services.

Early last week Mr Newton was at Northeast Health Wangaratta but was required to go home to have an assessment done so they could check the viability and the possibility of him being able to go home permanently in the future. Whilst that assessment was being conducted, Mr Newton, who is 86, slipped off the chair that he was sitting on and fell onto the bathroom floor of his home. Mr Newton waited 3½ hours for an ambulance, and then they were finally told that the ambulance would not be coming for him because the ambulance service was overloaded and not coping. When family members could get Mr Newton back to Northeast Health, he was left on a temporary bed in the surgical unit because there were no beds available. Mr Newton remained on this trolley for four days, being moved from one room to another because there were no beds available. Northeast Health then moved him to a nursing home which was in quarantine for COVID-19. Mr Newton was told by the nursing home that he should not have been sent there until the COVID outbreak was under control.

This is by no means a criticism of the fantastic efforts by Northeast Health, its staff and the nurses and the work that they do. They are doing an amazing job under difficult circumstances. However, I believe Mr Newton needs some answers as to why this occurred to him, and the community deserve answers on whether this health crisis is over or if it is continuing. Shedding further light on Mr Newton’s treatment may help others to make life-saving decisions for their own families in future situations.