Police will launch an investigation into the death of two-year-old Joe Massa after the toddler suffered a heart attack and died at Northern Beaches Hospital. 

Joe entered cardiac arrest and suffered irreversible brain damage after he was left waiting in an emergency department chair for three hours last September. 

His parents, Elouise and Danny Massa, say their son would still be alive if he hadn’t been misdiagnosed when he first arrived at the hospital in Sydney‘s north.

NSW Police said in a statement on Friday that officers had been ordered to open an investigation into the toddler’s death.  

‘Police have been directed by the NSW Coroner to investigate the death of a two-year-old boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches in September last year,’ it said. 

‘The child’s parents took their son to Northern Beaches Hospital for initial treatment before he was transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick where he later died.’

The night before he was rushed to hospital, Joe had spent the night violently vomiting and was suffering a life-threatening condition called hypovolemia. 

A nurse about to finish her 12-hour night shift categorised the toddler as triage category three and flagged he would need treatment within 30 minutes.

But an independent review found Joe’s dangerously elevated heartbeat and ‘pale and floppy’ appearance meant he should have been documented as category two or in the ‘red zone’ which would have seen him treated within 10 minutes.

Instead, Joe spent two-and-a-half hours sitting in an emergency department chair where he was misdiagnosed as suffering from gastro.

The two-year-old went limp, his heart rate continued to skyrocket and he was losing consciousness as his mother became more distressed.

He was not given a bed until Ms Massa screamed ‘my son has gone blind’ as Joe’s eyes began to roll back into his head.

At 10.30am, the two-year-old was transferred to the resuscitation bay where 17 minutes later he went into cardiac arrest.

Sadly, after 29 minutes of CPR Joe had suffered severe and irreversible brain damage, and his life support was turned off two days later.

Joe’s distraught parents had requested IV drips and monitoring equipment to see his vitals and believe these interventions could have saved their son’s life.

‘No parent should have to walk out of a hospital with their bags instead of their child,’ a statement from the Massa’s read.

‘Our son should be here today. He had his whole life ahead of him, and we trusted Northern Beaches Hospital to provide the care he needed.

‘Instead, he was failed at every level.’

The announcement came after Joe’s parents met with NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health Ryan Park on Wednesday. 

Ms Massa said the meeting was highly emotional but constructive. 

‘They were moved to tears, we were moved to tears… we felt that this journey, which has only been a week long for us in terms of being in the media, has been worth it, worth every single moment of heartache,’ she said.

Off the back of the meeting, the NSW government has committed to hosting a roundtable to discuss the implementation of what is being called ‘Joe’s Rule’. 

‘Joe’s Rule’ will strengthen existing protocols surrounding the rights of parents and loved ones to trigger a review into a patient’s treatment. 

The existing protocol, known as ‘REACH’ advises loved ones to raise their concerns regarding a patient’s condition before asking for a ‘clinical review’. 

While the particulars of ‘Joe’s Rule’ have yet to be determined, the Massa’s are certain there is room for improvement. 

‘We know that had ‘REACH’ been enacted properly, and had there been awareness raised for it, I truly believe Joe could most likely be here today,’ Ms Massa said. 

Mr Massa agreed, adding the reform could transform ‘REACH’ from a ‘five-word acronym’ into ‘something that’s digestible.’

‘We know that Joe’s life mattered, but I think we have a sense of relief that… his death will also matter.’