Pensioner waited four hours for an ambulance after suffering stroke and heart attack
A PENSIONER who suffered a stroke and heart attack was forced to wait nearly four hours for the Welsh Ambulance Service to arrive at home, his family claims.
Allan Jones, 73, was found incoherent and in deep distress at his bungalow in Maesteg, Bridgend, by his brother-in-law Brian Thomas on Friday, September 10.
But after dialling 999 and explaining Allan’s telltale signs of a stroke a call operator told Brian that no ambulances would be available to take him to hospital for at least three hours.
“I was watching him dying in front of me,” recalled Brian, 69, who lives on the same street as Allan and was going round to check on him as he hadn’t seen him in several days.
“To see one of your close relatives like that was so frustrating. It angered me and made me feel completely helpless. This man has worked all his life, never troubled the health service, and barely taken a tablet in his life and the very first time he asks for a bit of help he’s let down.”
In the days leading up to the incident Brian said Allan had been complaining of shortness of breath and had been to the GP to have bloods taken and undergone a chest X-ray in hospital.
“I was mindful of the fact he wasn’t himself – that’s what gave me cause for concern,” Brian added. “I went over, knocked on the door, and there was no answer. I went round the back and could see the bedroom window open and hear the radio going.
“I shouted up to him – he did respond but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I managed to get a ladder and climb up and he was on the floor in a difficult position.
“I recognised his stroke symptoms, dialled 999, and that’s when [all the delays] first started.”
Brian said he was told on the phone that the Welsh Ambulance Service was extremely busy and could not reach him quickly.
“I was told to ring [the ambulance service] back if things deteriorated. Three hours went by and I told them that he had deteriorated but I had to go through the same procedure again over the phone,” he added.
“The first call handler asked whether I could fetch him to the hospital myself but I’m coming up to 70 myself and Allan was very stiff. I was later told by a paramedic that if I’d moved him I could have killed him.”
Brian said he dialled 999 a further three times before a paramedic arrived around four hours after the original call was made followed by an ambulance around an hour later.
“The ambulance crew and paramedic
couldn’t do enough for him. They were absolutely fabulous when they actually got to him,” he added.
“They were clearly bound by the delays they were experiencing themselves. I’ve seen ambulances stacking up outside A&E without being able to offload their patients. It’s a stupid situation and it’s costing lives.”
Allan, who worked for the Forestry Commission, was taken to Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend where he remains. His family say he is unable to walk, talk properly, or sit upright unaided and can only eat pureed food.
“At this stage we do not know if the damage caused is irreparable,” Brian added. “Whichever way you look at it these ambulances need to be freed up. Hospitals need to be taking patients from ambulances as soon as they arrive in hospital so the crews can go about their business of saving and preserving lives in the community. The lack of beds is appalling.”
Brian’s daughter and Allan’s niece, Hollie Thomas, has written to health minister Eluned Morgan and Huw Irranca-Davies MS about his ordeal but they have decided not to make a formal complaint.
The letter reads: “The target response time for a stroke victim is 18 minutes. Every minute a person suffers a stroke 1.9m brain cells are lost.
“Certain treatments for a stroke must be administered within a four-hour window. It is well-publicised that time is the crucial factor when responding to a stroke. I am sure you can agree that a five-hour ambulance wait for a stroke victim is not acceptable. As a family we urgently request information on your immediate plan to address the inefficiencies in the ambulance and health services ahead of winter so that more lives are not needlessly put at risk.
“For however long my uncle will survive following his stroke and heart attack his life will never be the same.”
The family stressed that the staff at Welsh Ambulance Service were not at fault and said the first paramedic who arrived at the scene was “visibly upset” at the delay.
In response, Katie McPheat-Collins, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s operations manager in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area, said: “We were very sorry to hear about Mr Jones’ experience and would like to extend an apology to him and his loved ones for any distress as they waited for help.
“There have been well-documented pressures on our service in recent weeks, which are a reflection of wider challenges across the entire urgent and emergency care system.
“Prolonged hospital handover delays coupled with staff absence and high levels of demand for our services have significantly hampered our ability to get to patients quickly of which Mr Jones was one.
“As we prepare for a tough winter period, in which we will be supported by the military, we will continue to work with our health board and Welsh Government colleagues to mitigate pressures and ensure we are providing a safe service.
“Members of the public can help by only calling us for serious, life-threatening emergencies.
“If you need medical help fast but it’s not an emergency the NHS 111 Wales symptom checkers are the best place to start, not forgetting pharmacists and minor injuries units.
“We wish Mr Jones all the best on his recovery and invite his family to contact us directly if they wish to discuss his care in more detail.”