Darwin's 000 Calls: 5-Hour Wait in Critical Failure

Last Saturday, Darwin's emergency services experienced a critical system failure, resulting in significant response delays for hundreds of residents. Between midnight and 7am, urgent calls went unanswered for up to five hours, a situation described as 'operational capacity white' by St John Ambulance Northern Territory chief executive Abigail Trewin. This critical point signifies a failure to meet service demand despite all mitigation strategies, posing risks to patients and service continuity. It was the first time Darwin's midnight capacities were stretched to this extent in the city's history.

During this period, 29 life-threatening or urgent emergencies faced hours-long delays, and 61 Triple Zero calls were abandoned by ambulance staff. Although no deaths were directly attributed to the delays, Ms. Trewin noted that patients' conditions worsened while waiting. In one instance, police maintained a scene for 35 minutes until an ambulance could arrive, during which time the patient deteriorated significantly. Fifteen priority one cases could not be attended to within the 15-minute standard response time, with one call waiting over five hours. Fifteen priority two cases also exceeded their 30-minute response window.

Compounding the crisis, Royal Darwin Hospital experienced offloading delays exceeding 60 minutes, requiring ambulance crews to work extended 10-hour shifts. Ms. Trewin called Friday night an 'extraordinary event' that overwhelmed the five available ambulances in Darwin and Palmerston. In Alice Springs during the same period, four priority one emergencies were outstanding for over an hour. An incident also occurred where a female paramedic was punched by a patient, sustaining injuries requiring treatment.