An 80-year-old Wynyard woman waited for almost an hour on Monday for an ambulance to arrive from 130 metres away in Dodgin Street.
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According to her daughter-in-law, Somerset's Kellie Smith, the woman had fallen in her Percy Street unit and was found by her son.
"We went over from Somerset, and by the time we got there my sister- in-law had called an ambulance," Mrs Smith said.
"She was told one would be dispatched and if Mum was short of breath, call again.
"When we pulled up (at the unit) there was an ambo in the fire station."
Mrs Smith said the family waited another 30 minutes, then her husband Stephen decided to walk over to the ambulance station at the end of Percy Street.
"He walked up to the fire station and knocked on the door and asked them why they hadn't come down to help his mother," she said.
"They had not received a call."
IN OTHER HEALTH NEWS
Mrs Smith had nothing but praise for the paramedics, who came straight away once they'd been told.
"I cannot fault them. It wasn't their fault. They're under enough pressure as it is, let alone a distraught family member bashing on their door thinking they're not doing their job - they don't need that."
However she thought the situation was unacceptable.
"If you ring triple 000 for an emergency, it should be treated as an emergency," she said.
Her mother-in-law was taken to the North West Regional Hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis.
Mrs Smith said she had contacted Health Minister Sarah Courtney to find out why her mother-in-law had had to lie on the floor for so long.
Ms Courtney said the matter had been investigated.
"My advice is, it was dealt with appropriately," she said.
"I followed this up personally with the Secretary of my Department.
"I have been advised the highly trained professionals at our despatch centres dealt with this appropriately."
An Ambulance Tasmania spokeswoman said any call made to 000 for an emergency was ranked on an assessment and dispatch system and those in the most need of critical medical intervention got it first.
"In regards to the Wynyard case, the protocol was followed correctly by our state operations centre," she said.
"There was not a breakdown in our communication system. This was an example of a system working perfectly that is designed to save lives.
"We support the health and wellbeing of all our staff."
Leah McBey
As a southern New Zealander I love island life. So Tassie was an obvious choice after living in North America, Europe and the Pacific Islands. I've done a bit of everything but communication is the motif threading through my life.
As a southern New Zealander I love island life. So Tassie was an obvious choice after living in North America, Europe and the Pacific Islands. I've done a bit of everything but communication is the motif threading through my life.
