A man who called Triple Zero with chest pains has died after waiting more than two hours for an ambulance, despite living only a few streets from Princess Alexandra Hospital in neighbouring Woolloongabba.
The 51-year-old patient reportedly made the emergency call at 10:03 p.m. on Saturday, 10 October 2026, after experiencing severe chest pain and shortness of breath. Paramedics arrived at approximately 12:25 a.m. the following morning and found him deceased. The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) has launched a review into the circumstances of his death. (Source)
Emergency Call From Near Princess Alexandra Hospital
The patient’s home was located a few streets from Princess Alexandra Hospital, a major public hospital on Ipswich Road that serves Brisbane’s southern suburbs. His emergency call was classified as Code 1C, indicating a potentially time-critical medical condition.
A QAS operator reportedly called him back approximately five minutes after his initial request for help. He indicated that his condition had not changed, but an ambulance did not arrive until more than two hours after his first call.
Reports described a heavy ambulance workload that night, although investigators have not established what caused the delay in reaching the patient. Ambulance dispatch depends on the location and availability of operational crews, rather than proximity to a hospital alone.
Family Seeks Answers Over Two-Hour Wait
His family learnt through media coverage that he had called for emergency assistance before his death. His brother said relatives had spent five days wondering why the patient had not called an ambulance, only to discover that he had sought help.
His brother described the patient as a man who enjoyed life, cared deeply about others and made friends easily. The family has called for a thorough investigation, including a coronial inquest, to establish what happened and whether an earlier response might have changed the outcome.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls said he was notified of the death on Monday, 12 October, and sought further information from QAS. He acknowledged difficulties contacting the patient’s relatives because family contact details were not readily available and apologised for the distress caused.
Mr Nicholls confirmed that clinical incident reviews were underway and said the findings would help determine whether procedures had been followed and what improvements might be necessary.
Ambulance Delays Across Brisbane’s South
This death occurred amidst continuing pressure on emergency departments throughout the Metro South hospital network, including Princess Alexandra Hospital and QEII Jubilee Hospital at Coopers Plains.
Queensland Health data for August 2026 showed that 42 per cent of ambulance patients at the state’s 26 largest public hospital emergency departments waited longer than 30 minutes to be transferred into hospital care. At Princess Alexandra Hospital, more than half of ambulance arrivals exceeded the 30-minute handover benchmark, while QEII Jubilee Hospital recorded Queensland’s highest rate at 64.8 per cent.
Hospital handover delays, commonly called ambulance ramping, can leave paramedic crews attending to patients inside or outside emergency departments instead of responding to new calls. Whether hospital delays, crew availability or other operational factors contributed to Mr Bradford’s wait remains under investigation.
The August statewide ramping rate was higher than July’s 38.7 per cent but below the 45.6 per cent recorded in August 2025.
The Queensland Audit Office also found that QAS had not met response-time targets for Code 1B and Code 1C emergencies since at least 2017–18, when it began tracking those measures. Code 1 incidents increased by 48.4 per cent between 2020–21 and 2024–25, placing further demand on ambulance services.
QAS has expressed condolences to the patient’s family and confirmed that a review is examining the circumstances of his death, including whether established procedures and protocols were followed.
The findings have not been released, and no official determination has established whether the ambulance delay contributed to his death.
Published 19-Oct-2026
