Neil Mitchell alerted to concerning tragedy at regional hospital

A woman in her 60s has died after being forced to wait more than six hours in an emergency department at a regional hospital.

The woman was triaged upon arriving at the hospital and flagged as a patient who needed to be seen within 30 minutes.

After waiting more than six hours, the woman told staff she didn’t feel well and subsequently left to seek treatment at a private hospital in the same area.

She had a pulmonary embolism shortly after arriving and died.

The health department has confirmed with 3AW Mornings it is investigating.

Neil Mitchell has been told staff at the hospital have long flagged concerns about response times and their work load but their concerns have gone unanswered.

“I don’t know this woman’s history and I’m not a doctor, she may not have survived with quicker treatment, but when the system fails, it’s got to be fixed,” Neil Mitchell said.

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