Family claims there was ‘no ventilator’ for mum
Health chief questioned as husband speaks on wife’s ‘ordeal’
Health secretary Humza Yousaf has been asked to provide assurances on ventilator capacity at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
The move by Russell Findlay MSP follows claims the family of a desperately ill Houston mum were told none were available for her.
The family says they were told by medics to prepare for the worst and that she needed a ventilator - but they didn’t have any free in Paisley.
Hospital management have now insisted this was not the case, and despite the intensive care unit being full, they had capacity to provide the life-saving machine.
The Houston woman, in her late fifties, was double vaccinated and remains seriously ill at the RAH.
Her worried husband has now called for reassurances following his family’s ordeal.
He said: “As winter approaches, I would like to ask whether Mr Yousaf is confident that the RAH, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Scotland have a sufficient stock of ventilators.”
The health board has denied there is any issue with ventilator capacity and even with ICU is full, the system has the ability to “flexup”.
Russell Findlay, Tory MSP for West Scotland, said: “This is a deeply worrying incident that requires urgent explanation from NHS management and the SNP government.
“Her husband tells me that he feared the worst and that her life could have been lost.
“Covid has not gone away and the pressures on our dedicated NHS doctors and nurses this winter will be severe.
“We have already seen the SNP health secretary having to call in the British Army because of the ambulance crisis and he must now urgently explain whether there is an adequate stock of ventilators.
“It would be a dereliction of duty if a thorough assessment was not made as a matter of urgency.”
The woman has now made it out of the high dependency unit, but has since had a suspected stroke.
Her family had to wait six hours for an ambulance and she arrived at the RAH on September 1.
In a letter to Humza Yousaf, Russell Findlay said: “On the afternoon of September 1, a doctor informed her family that she was on the maximum amount of oxygen and that she was critically ill.
“The doctor also said that she needed to be put on a ventilator but despite the number of admitted patients being lower than during the height of the pandemic, the hospital no longer had enough ventilators.
“They were told that without a ventilator, her chances of survival were significantly lower, and that they should prepare for the worst.
“The family were understandably shocked and worried at being told this.
“Thankfully her condition has since stabilised enough to leave HDU, but she remains very ill in hospital, having now suffered a suspected stroke.
“Her husband is concerned from his wife’s ordeal that the stock of ventilators held by NHS Scotland may not be sufficient for the needs of patients in Scotland.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board confirmed the ICU was technically full when the woman was brought in.
But a spokeswoman said: “The ICU has the capacity to go beyond 100 per cent capacity and can flexup to 120 per cent.
“Patient care is our upmost priority and we would like to reassure Express readers that there is no shortage of ventilators at the RAH or any other NHSGGC hospitals.
“We are very sorry that this patient and her family have been unhappy with the care she has received and we would be happy to discuss this with them.
“If an ICU unit in an individual hospital was operating at capacity, and following assessment by the clinical team it was determined that a patient required an ICU bed and could be safely transferred, action would be taken to move the person to another hospital in our board area for treatment.
“During the pandemic the senior management team has a daily call to look at ICU capacity, to ensure a smooth patient flow between our hospitals as required.”