The family of a Brisbane man who died while waiting more than two hours for an ambulance has learned of his death through media reports, Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls has confirmed.
The 53-year-old man called for an ambulance on Saturday night from his home in Annerley, a short distance from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, after suffering chest pains. Operators called him back and asked if he could make his own way to the hospital, but he told them it would be unsafe to drive in his condition. They asked him to sit tight and call if the pains got worse.
About two hours after the initial call, paramedics found him dead inside the home. His call had been categorised as a code 1C, which Queensland Ambulance Service data says are reached within half an hour 90 per cent of the time.
Nicholls told reporters on the Gold Coast on Friday that the man's family had only found out about the death via media reports on Thursday night. "The family have reached out overnight, and have seen the story in the media and I think were understandably distressed about that," he said. "I apologise to them, that has caused them distress and I understand totally if it has."
Nicholls said authorities had trouble reaching the man's family because he was not previously known to Queensland Health and there were no contact details. He said the family was meeting with Queensland Ambulance Service personnel on Friday afternoon.
Nicholls revealed he was notified of the death on Monday and immediately sought further information from the ambulance service. He received a further briefing on Tuesday and was kept updated on attempts to contact people during the week.
The minister said a critical incident review had been ordered. "It is unacceptable, and I hope and expect that the critical incident review will provide us with answers as to how these circumstances occurred, why they occurred, and, of course, recommendations to improve the service," he said.
The news comes as it was revealed a man in his 80s also died on Tuesday while waiting for a bed at the Mater Hospital for approximately three hours. The opposition in parliament on Friday interrogated when the health minister was made aware of the cases.