Auckland pensioner suffering heart attack told he had chest infection, would have to wait two hours for ambulance

A pensioner with a history of heart problems is furious after suffering a heart attack before being told over the phone he only had a chest infection and would have to wait two hours for an ambulance.

Robert Osborne, 72, was at his Devonport home in Auckland’s North Shore on May 24 when he felt sharp chest and shoulder pains and began shaking.

Osborne, who had suffered two heart attacks previously, had taken an aspirin and two lots of Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) spray, the recommended treatment for someone with chest pain, but the pain was not easing.

“I rang the ambulance and described to the caller that I was having symptoms of a heart attack... they told me to call back if it got any worse,” Osborne told the Herald.

Half an hour after his initial call, Osborne claimed he received a call from St John.

“They told me that the ambulance might be an hour to two hours away because I only had a chest infection. They hadn’t even seen me and I was diagnosed with a chest infection,” Osborne said.

Deteriorating, Osborne’s neighbour rushed to his aid and called St John a second time and stipulated his condition had worsened before demanding to know how far away an ambulance was, to which the operator allegedly asked questions like, “Is he breathing?”

“They didn’t take into account that it was a follow-up call,” Osborne said.

A third call was made to St John by Osborne’s daughter, who was speeding from her home in Whangaparāoa to rush her father to hospital. It was after this final call that St John dispatched an ambulance to Osborne’s residence on Vauxhall Rd, over an hour after his initial call.

“That was absolutely ridiculous,” Osborne said.

“For somebody that’s going through chest pains and shortness of breath, it can be rather daunting... I was sh***ing bricks to tell you the truth.”

Osborne speaking with the Herald at his Devonport home, where he suffered a heart attack last month. Photo / Dean Purcell

Hato Hone St John general manager of clinical effectiveness Jon Moores said the ambulance service uses an “accredited triage system” with the information received to ensure that immediately life-threatening calls are given the highest priority.

“The information provided in the initial call led to a triage level of urgent, however not immediately life-threatening. We are currently reviewing Mr Osborne’s care to determine whether there were any opportunities to re-triage this call earlier.

“During a subsequent call, further information was provided that increased the triage priority to potentially life-threatening, and an ambulance was redirected from a lower priority incident to respond to Mr Osborne,” Moores said.

Osborne told the Herald it was his third heart attack. He had a pacemaker inserted in 2017 following his first and a stent put in following his second in September last year. In September, when Osborne called St John, an ambulance was at his residence in 15 minutes.

The stent failed on May 24, causing a 100 per cent blockage in a coronary artery as shown in the result of Osborne’s angiogram. He was rushed to North Shore Hospital after over an hour of waiting for an ambulance.

“I was in serious pain at the hospital, they gave me three shots of morphine... As they were treating it I had another lot of chest pains so that could’ve also been part of that blockage,” Osborne said.

“It’s a very sad state of affairs when an emergency call centre doesn’t understand the priority of the urgency of a call.”

The 72-year-old said he is doing “fine” now but is furious at how St John handled his call.

Osborne’s son, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald his father’s pacemaker was showing signs that it was shocking him and he could feel electric shocks going through his body.

“While he was at North Shore Hospital, the doctor checking him out actually witnessed him having two or three smaller heart attacks while he was being assessed.

“Not being able to have the staff and the manpower to crew the ambulances while staff either call in sick or are on annual leave is eventually going to cost someone their life, and it almost came to that with my father,” Osborne’s son said.

He planned to contact St John for answers.

“I want them to explain why he was dropped from a category red patient to category orange and told he had a chest infection when he’d clearly stated his medical history and symptoms to them.”

The 72-year-old said he is doing “fine” now but is furious at how St John handled his call and "urgent changes" are needed. Photo / Dean Purcell

Moores said St John would encourage Osborne or his family to contact them directly, “so that we can discuss his care and more fully understand his concerns”.

“Hato Hone St John takes the welfare and safety of our patients extremely seriously and we are keen to ensure that we take any learnings from patients that are concerned about the service we provide,” Moores said.

In September 2020, 78-year-old Rangiora woman Margaret Elizabeth Lindsay Wells died following a 70-minute wait for an ambulance after her double-amputee husband called for help.

A coroner has described the circumstances around her death as “deeply troubling”, saying that despite calling St John concerning a life-threatening medical emergency, it took over an hour for paramedics to arrive “due to scarce ambulance resources and competing demands”.

The woman’s daughter told the Herald she’s “angry and upset” with St John about their response time.

“Not saying that mum would’ve survived, but she didn’t get a chance.”

Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale’s report into the death of Rangiora woman Margaret Elizabeth Lindsay Wells was released to media in April this year.

In July 2021 a husband watched his wife die at their West Auckland home after six calls to St John.

Auckland woman Solofua Sharon Tapuvae, 54, died at home of an acute heart condition as her husband called for an ambulance five times and was told there were none available.

A sixth call was made by Tapuvae’s son to say that his mother was not breathing, after which the call was then elevated to a purple (priority) response.

Coroner Janet Anderson said the tragic death highlighted the serious and distressing impacts that can occur when there are insufficient ambulance resources available in communities.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell last month condemned the actions of an ambulance call-handler who in 2020 incorrectly classified and recorded triage information when taking a call from the mother of a teenage girl who was having an asthma attack.

She died on the floor at her home following a 28-minute delay in an ambulance arriving.

‘Winter will challenge the whole health system’ – St John

Hato Hone St John deputy chief executive of clinical services, Dr Damian Tomic, says winter 2024 “will again challenge the whole health system”, but the organisation aims to maintain a sustainable level of service during the winter months.

“Our goal is to ensure that we can continue to respond effectively to emergencies while managing the increased demand,” Tomic said.

“However, despite our efforts, we anticipate that some people – particularly those with non-urgent conditions – may wait longer for an ambulance.

“We have developed a range of initiatives to treat patients in their home and utilise appropriate community pathways when we can and direct the transport and flow of patients into emergency departments safely and effectively.”

Tomic said it’s important that New Zealanders understand how and when to access healthcare over winter.

“If you, and/or your whānau become unwell this winter there are a range of options you can choose to access healthcare including your own GP, Healthline and local pharmacy. But remember that if it’s an emergency people should call 111.

“Calls will be triaged by our clinical teams who will ensure patients get the help they need when they need it,” said Tomic.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.