Elderly woman forced to spend night in tent outside Box Hill Hospital

Press PLAY below to hear Sarah* telling her mother’s deeply concerning story

A Melbourne woman has shared a disturbing hospital story which highlights the extent of the state’s hospital crisis.

Sarah* told Neil Mitchell her 83-year-old mother, who has had a stroke, is still in a makeshift tent outside Box Hill Hospital, 17 hours after arriving at hospital via ambulance.

Sarah’s mother arrived at the hospital at 4pm on Wednesday and waited in a corridor for three hours before being “upgraded” to a tent outside.

“It is heated, and the staff are doing their best. It’s makeshift,” Sarah said.

Sarah says paramedics are unable to leave the hospital because of a lack of beds, so they’re stuck there performing duties like emptying urinals.

“Paramedics don’t leave until the person is assigned a bed, so paramedics are dealing with patients in the corridors and also in the tent,” she said.

Eastern Health executive director of clinical operations, Shannon Wight, said the hospital is unable to comment on specific situations for privacy reasons.

*not her real name

Elderly woman forced to spend night in tent outside Box Hill Hospital

(Image: Google Maps)