Family says Ambulance Victoria 'failed' young woman who died after bout of severe vomiting, fever

A paramedic has broken down at an inquest into the death of a young Victorian woman who died the morning after ambulance officers had given her the all clear.

Ballarat woman Stacey Yean, 23, died in January last year after a severe bout of vomiting that had her family and friends so concerned they called for an ambulance twice, an inquest into her death has heard.

Her family told the court she would still be alive if paramedics hadn't talked her out of going to hospital.

On the first triple-zero call, her mother Adrienne Yean said the operator told her that her daughter most likely had a bug and an ambulance would not attend.

After the second call, an ambulance was despatched from Sebastapol to Stacey's family home near Ballarat.

Paramedics examined Ms Yean but did not take her to hospital as they said she likely had a 24-48-hour bug that she would have to "ride out", her mother told the Victorian Coroner's Court on Wednesday.

"They said to Stacey your vitals are in check and that doesn’t warrant us admitting you to hospital... you’ll be waiting five to six hours with a bucket between your legs," she said.

The family said Ms Yean, who was unable to sit up in bed, was sweating profusely and that paramedics were told she was very thirsty.

Audio from the emergency phone call revealed her worried best friend insisted Ms Yean needed medical assistance.

"She can not stop vomiting and she is sweating profusely and she can't keep anything down and I am really worried about her," the friend told the operator.

"I've tried everything to get her a doctor and I can't get one to get out here I can't get anything. She really needs a doctor."

Stacey stayed home and the next morning she was found dead.

Ambulance Victoria's lawyer Naomi Hodgson said paramedics were never told Ms Yean was very thirsty or they would have performed a test for hyperglycaemia.

She also said ambulance officers never said the wait at the hospital would be five or six hours - only that there may be a wait.

"I suggest to you that when paramedics were packing up their equipment, they said if Stacey gets worse or doesn't improve in a couple of hours, then call back," Ms Hodgson said.

Paramedic Jessica Handley told the court Ms Yean didn't appear pale or sweaty, didn't have a temperature and her vital signs were normal.

She said that a number of ambulances were ramped at Ballarat hospital and they told the patient there would be a wait but denied putting a time frame on it.

Ms Handley broke down in tears reading her statement, saying she was "shocked and devastated" when she heard her patient had died.

"She wanted to stay at home," Ms Handley said.

Mrs Yean said Ambulance Victoria failed her daughter.

"We believe something in the system needs to change. The ambulance did no more for her that we could," she said in her statement on Wednesday.

"The system has failed us and failed Stacey, but if she had not been talked out of going to hospital she might still be with us today."

The inquest continues until Friday.