A 98-year-old woman has died in her Hoppers Crossing home after waiting almost three hours for paramedics following a fall early on Friday morning, prompting a comprehensive review by Ambulance Victoria and renewed scrutiny of emergency response times nationwide.
The woman activated her personal medical alarm between 4am and 4.30am. The alarm company contacted Triple Zero, which referred the call to Ambulance Victoria without delay.
The case was categorised as a Code 3 response, a less urgent classification typically used for falls. Dispatchers made repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact a number linked to the alarm over the following two hours.
Paramedics arrived at the Rudolph Street property between 7am and 7.30am. Unable to gain entry, they called Fire Rescue Victoria, which forced entry and found the woman deceased. Victoria Police attended and are preparing a report for the coroner. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery said the service was under significant operational demand at the time, consistent with heightened pressure in recent weeks.
Factors included increased acuity at hospitals, winter illness affecting both the community and the workforce, and overall activity levels. Twelve additional crews had been rostered in recent days to help manage demand.
“We will be undertaking a very comprehensive review of this matter, in line with best-practice clinical governance guidelines,” Mr Emery said.
“It is a deeply distressing incident for that family, and I extend my sincere condolences.”
A neighbour listed as an emergency contact, who held a spare key, said she was never notified and could have assisted with access. Ambulance Employees Australia Victorian secretary Danny Hill said the attending paramedics were deeply distressed, noting they acted as quickly as possible once the case was allocated to them.
The tragedy highlights ongoing challenges for Ambulance Victoria, which continues to miss its statewide target of responding to 85 per cent of Code 1 (lights and sirens) cases within 15 minutes.
In the January to March 2026 quarter, only 66.4 per cent of Code 1 responses met the target, with an average response time of 15 minutes and 28 seconds.
Hospital clearing times have improved to an average of 26.4 minutes, down from 31.8 minutes a year earlier, allowing crews to return to the road more quickly. However, demand remains high.
Regional areas have also faced acute strain. In late July, Ballarat and Bendigo hospitals experienced severe ambulance ramping, with crews delayed by up to 4.5 hours in some cases. This left parts of western Victoria temporarily without ambulance coverage as resources were diverted.
Nationally, ambulance ramping and delayed responses remain a persistent issue. The Australian Medical Association’s 2026 Ambulance Ramping Report Card found that, in 2024-25, more than 2.4 million people arrived at emergency departments by ambulance, with callout incidents at record levels.
Across every state and territory, ambulances spent significantly more time ramped outside hospitals than they did five years earlier. This reduces availability for new emergencies and delays patient care.
In Victoria, the target is for 90 per cent of patients to be transferred from ambulance to the emergency department within 40 minutes. Performance sat at 68 per cent in 2024-25. New South Wales aims for 90 per cent of patients to be transferred within 30 minutes and has achieved more than 80 per cent in recent data, although this remains below target. Queensland has not met its 30-minute offload target for nearly a decade. Western Australia recorded more than 7,000 hours of ambulance ramping in a single recent month.
Winter illness, rising patient acuity, workforce shortages caused by illness, and hospital capacity constraints are commonly cited factors. Older Australians, particularly those living alone or in aged care, are disproportionately affected.
Falls are a frequent reason for ambulance callouts among older people, yet lower-priority coding can lead to extended waits when the system is under pressure.
Aged care providers and advocates have long raised concerns about the vulnerability of residents when emergency responses are delayed.
Personal medical alarms and secondary triage systems are intended to prioritise resources, but incidents such as this underscore the limits of current capacity during periods of peak demand.
Ambulance Victoria has contacted the woman’s family. Triple Zero Victoria confirmed there were no delays in answering or referring the initial call. The full circumstances surrounding the death will be examined through Ambulance Victoria’s review and the coronial process.
