Launceston General Hospital patient dies after being ramped for more than nine hours

The death of a woman in her 70s who was ramped and waiting to be admitted to a Tasmanian hospital's emergency department for more than nine hours is "totally unacceptable" and shows the state's health system is crumbling, a union says. Key points: Ambulance ramping happens when hospital emergency departments are full and cannot admit new patients In June this year, 52 per cent of patients were seen on time at the LGH ED, according to Tasmania's Health Department Tasmanian Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks says a formal review of the case is underway The union that represents paramedics in Tasmania said the woman was taken to the Launceston General Hospital about midnight on Friday night, and died at about 9am on Saturday. Formal review into ramping death underway Tasmanian Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said the patient was receiving care in a transition area while waiting for hospital bed. "While waiting for an Emergency Department bed to become available, the patient was receiving care from ED staff and paramedics in a transition area inside the ED," she said in a statement. "It's about ensuring that we get the access and flow from triple zero right through to patient discharge through our hospital system and through our emergency department," he said.