Rola Raad knew she wasn't well. The 30-year-old from Auburn in Western Sydney had a fever that began to get worse. Then she noticed her fingers and toes were swollen and turning blue.
On Sunday 15 August, Ms Raad called an ambulance. But just as it arrived at her local hospital she received a text message to say the COVID-19 test she had taken was positive.
She said the ambulance took her straight to Westmead Hospital and that's where she realised the extent of the pressure COVID-19 is having on Australia's health service.
“There were like 14 other ambulances there, in the car park, and it was insane knowing all of us were waiting to get in,” she told SBS News.
“The paramedics and the system, in general, are so overworked.”
Ms Raad said she was eventually seen by a doctor outside.
“They moved me to, like, a tent. They had given me a drip in that tent and unfortunately, there was no bed and they had returned me back to that ambulance,” she said.
She had an X-ray and was in the ambulance and tent for a total of eight hours.
After the medication began to kick in, and realising she wasn't going to be admitted to the hospital any time soon, she asked if she could return home and was transported back in the ambulance.
Struggling under the surge of COVID-19 patients, Westmead Hospital called a “yellow emergency" this week.
Westmead Hospital in Sydney. Source: AAP
In a memo sent to staff on Tuesday night, the hospital's acting manager Jenelle Matic said it was “no longer operating in a business as usual environment” and would now be reducing “ambulance arrivals for COVID-19 patients for 24 hours”.
The memo also said the hospital would be “working with our private hospital network to open up to 100 beds”.
A Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson said the district is caring for more than 1,500 COVID patients in the community, a number rising by more than 200 patients every day.
“Western Sydney is currently the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic and we need to anticipate demand in order that safe care is provided in our hospitals," they said.
A new short-stay unit was due to be opened on Thursday.
"The dedicated team at Westmead Hospital are working hard to adapt to these challenges and we will open a new short-stay unit in the emergency department for COVID patients which will help with offload delays," the spokesperson said.
"Westmead Hospital is working with other hospitals to urgently review and prioritise resources, with COVID patients being transferred or redirected to other metropolitan hospitals when necessary."
‘Under a lot of pressure’
Tim Blofield is the Westmead branch secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association. He told SBS News that frontline workers are “doing it tough”.
“We have an ICU that is under a lot of pressure and we have a lot of redeployment of nurses to staff the COVID wards, resulting in a lot of hours being worked and very low morale,” he said.
“We already have a paradigm where some nurses need to skip their breaks, where some nurses do lots of overtime, do double shifts, work 16, 18, maybe 20 hours in the day.”
But NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has insisted that the hospital system can cope.
Tim Blofield says staff are stretched. Source: SBS News
“I don’t doubt that individual staff in some of those wards are finding that there is a lot of stress on them, as a result of the number of patients coming in, but I stress, we have a very, very good hospital system,” Mr Hazzard told the media on Wednesday.
“Westmead Hospital is typical of the sorts of pressures you’d expect when you’ve got a major hospital in the middle of the epicentre of the virus outbreak.
“Last week, Westmead Hospital had 280 patients who came in by ambulance with COVID, so about 40 ambulance deliveries a day.”
'Still seek help'
Although emergency rooms are busy, doctors are encouraging those with worsening COVID-19 symptoms to seek help early, saying the disease can cause patients to deteriorate rapidly.
“Both Westmead and Blacktown hospital emergency departments are continuing to receive ambulances and emergency care continues to be available to everyone from western Sydney who needs it,” the Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson said.
Lung specialist Dr Lucy Morgan said: “If you have COVID-19 and you feel breathless, have trouble breathing, or you are feeling dizzy, you need to call an ambulance.”
Dr Morgan confirmed that ambulance bills will be waived for COVID-19 patients and that support is available for everyone.
“An ambulance is free, your medical care will be free, there will be people who can care for you even if English is not your first language.”
A NSW Health spokesperson told SBS News metropolitan hospitals are "experiencing a period of high demand with COVID-19 cases" and apologised for a delay experienced by patients at Westmead Hospital earlier this week.
"[Hospitals] are observing strict protocols to ensure that all patients and staff are protected from potential exposure to COVID-19," they said.
"As such, a high number of ambulance presentations were seen at Westmead Hospital’s emergency department late [on Monday]."
"NSW Health apologises for this delay, and thanks patients and their families for their patience and understanding as we respond to this COVID-19 outbreak."
"The hospitals are working closely with NSW Ambulance to avoid any future delays."
