Dying man made to wait

A man who was fatally hit by a car outside a hospital emergency department lay injured for nearly 24 minutes before an ambulance transported him inside.

Ross Stuart Andrew, 54, was hit outside Waitakere Hospital in Henderson, West Auckland, just before 8.15am on July 9. He died in North Shore Hospital two days later.

Police said Andrew was walking across the hospital's access road when he was hit by a car turning into the site.

A witness called 111 and an ambulance was dispatched from central Auckland.

St John spokesman Alan Goudge said the incident was given "highest priority" and the ambulance service responded with "the closest, most appropriate available resource".

A little later another ambulance became available after transporting a heavily pregnant woman to Waitakere Hospital, he said, and it arrived at the accident at 8.30am.

"The ambulance crew immediately attended the injured patient. The city emergency ambulance on its way to the scene was accordingly stood down."

Andrew arrived in Waitakere Hospital's emergency department at 8.39am.

A witness said he was concerned about the time it took for an ambulance to arrive, and said another ambulance had driven past the accident without stopping.

"I would have liked to have thought that if I was run over or having a heart attack on hospital grounds it would take a hell of a lot less time to get medical assistance," he said.

"For all I know it's a giant mix up but I was certainly fairly outraged."

But Goudge said the passing ambulance was not used for emergencies, and was not flagged down by a group of nurses who had surrounded the injured man.

Andrew suffered serious head injuries and was transferred to North Shore Hospital, where he died last Saturday.

The Waitemata District Health Board was investigating the incident but believed staff acted appropriately, said communications manager Lydia Aydon.

"It is WDHB policy that if an incident occurs within the Waitakere Hospital building or the immediate vicinity then our own emergency response team would attend. However, if, as in this case, the incident is further away, it is in the interests of the patient's clinical safety that an ambulance is requested."

Andrew's stepfather Bill Hoffman said the family had no issues with his care after the accident.

He said St John and Waitakere and North Shore hospitals had been "absolutely superb".

Andrew had been on his way to work when he was hit. It is understood he worked for an intellectual disability organisation.

The police serious crash unit is investigating the incident. Constable Karl Bevin said sunstrike may have been a factor for the female driver, who was "quite distraught".

St John would not comment on whether there was an ambulance shortage in Auckland that was forcing dispatchers to send outside crews to incidents.

In June the government announced $48 million of funding for St John over four years, partly to fund extra front line ambulance officers.