‘Apology' to 70yo who slept on western Sydney hospital floor amid calls for review
The photos, posted to Facebook by the man's daughter Hayley Leatham, show Raymond lying down behind a row of chairs at Blacktown Hospital with a bag under his head.
Ms Leatham said the photos showed the 'sad reality of our public health system', and her father had waited more than 24 hours with life-threatening low haemoglobin.
The Western Sydney Local Health District, which oversees Blacktown Hospital, said in a statement on Wednesday it had reached out to Raymond to 'sincerely apologise'.
'Raymond has expressed his thanks for the quality of care he received from the hardworking staff at Blacktown Hospital,' a spokesperson said.
'All patients are seen and triaged on arrival at the ED with the most seriously unwell patients treated first.'
The spokesperson acknowledged that it 'can be challenging for people' when they were made to 'wait longer than they expect in an ED'.
'We thank the community for their patience during periods of high demand,' they said.
The spokesperson urged anyone with non life-threatening injuries to call Healthdirect, as hospital visitations surged over the winter months.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Blacktown Hospital branch vice-president Jess Kybert said the situation at the hospital was the worst she had ever seen.
Speaking as a member of the union, she said staff were burnt out amid an unprecedented surge in cases over winter, an always busy period for hospitals.
She said that while not allowed to let patients sleep on the floor, 'the horrific thing is the floor becomes the next best option' due to a lack of beds.
The incident also sparked political mudslinging between the Labor state government and the Liberal-Nationals opposition in NSW.
Premier Chris Minns lay significant blame at the feet of the former Coalition government, though admitted more needed to be done.
Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane on Wednesday called for an 'urgent review' into the situation at Blacktown and Westmead hospitals.
'Western Sydney is under enormous pressure,' the Vaucluse MP told 2GB's Ben Fordham.
'They have unique needs across our state, high areas of chronic illness, diabetes is the highest in the nation.
'In those areas, we've got big migrant populations, and Covid exacerbated this.
'So, I'm not saying there are easy answers, but we need to make a start.
'We need to have a review that begins at Blacktown Hospital.'
Fordham released images of a woman identified as Anna Maria, who told the 2GB host that she had slept in her car while waiting for emergency department staff in Blacktown.
'Anna Maria says, a week ago, I was taken to Blacktown Hospital with a bowel obstruction,' Fordham said.
'I waited 24 hours in the waiting room because there were no beds.
'I was so tired that my husband parked the car out the front of the ED so I could lay down and have a rest while the staff are doing their best to manage a chaotic situation.'
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