A 90-year-old woman waited more than 32 hours for an ambulance after falling at her home and fracturing her hip.
Iris Morgan, from Wyesham in Monmouthshire, fell at her home on Sunday, December 7, and was unable to get up. An ambulance was requested that afternoon, but despite repeated calls to emergency services, help did not arrive until shortly after midnight the following day.
When paramedics eventually attended, they assessed that the woman had suffered a fractured hip. She was taken to The Grange University Hospital, where she was admitted and later underwent surgery. During her admission, she required further treatment after developing an infection, they nearly killed her says her daughter Alison.
The incident has prompted an investigation by the Welsh Ambulance Service and renewed concern over winter pressures on the NHS in Wales.
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A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We continue to work with our colleagues in the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust to ensure the timely transfer of patients into our care and to release ambulance crews as quickly and efficiently as possible to respond to emergency calls in our communities.
“We have seen improvements in the last few months as we worked hard to reduce ambulance handover times to 45 minutes or less, but in recent weeks handover times have increased due to our services coming under extreme pressures caused by flu and other winter viruses, as in other areas of Wales and the UK.
“Improving patient flow and reducing delays are urgent priorities for the Health Board and we are taking extra steps to support patient discharges from our hospitals by working collaboratively with Local Authority partners to free up beds for the patients who need them most.
“We would like to thank our staff for their hard work in such challenging circumstances and to our patients for their understanding at this time.”
Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “No patient should have to wait that long for care, and we are very sorry for the extended delays experienced by Mrs Morgan following her fall.
“Despite improvements seen during the summer months at The Grange University Hospital, winter pressures across the health system meant that hospital handover delays deteriorated – this loss of capacity outside hospitals had a direct impact on our ability to respond promptly to 999 calls.
“We are working closely with health boards to build on the progress made before Christmas to collectively improve patient flow, handover performance and the experience of patients and staff alike.
“We also launched a dedicated Falls Desk in November, which is already helping patients receive remote assessments and, in some cases, assistance from the ground sooner than before.
“We are investigating Mrs Morgan’s experience and are liaising directly with her family. We wish Mrs Morgan a speedy recovery.”
