Man, 80, died after waiting 23 hours for an ambulance
Pensioner’s sons blame Labour for state of the Welsh NHS system after losing their father
THE son of an 80-year-old man who died after waiting 23 hours for an ambulance says that politicians are presiding over a failing health system.
Darren Williams blames Labour, which runs the NHS in Wales, where it is devolved to the Welsh Government, for the state of the health service after his father John died on Sunday morning, four days after he was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
He had waited 23 hours for the ambulance to arrive after falling and hitting his head last Tuesday morning. His son had dialled 999 that morning but an ambulance did not arrive until 7.30am the next day.
Mr Williams then waited another seven hours in the back of the ambulance outside the hospital before he was admitted. His son said that the situation had left him feeling “bitter towards the system” and angry because ambulance crews “can’t do their jobs because of politics”.
Mr Williams had had to wait on the same day that ambulance crews lost 101 hours sitting outside Morriston Hospital because of delays handing over patients as a result of “pressures across the whole health system”, according to the Welsh Ambulance Service.
His son Darren, 48, a car salesman, said: “I can’t help thinking that all this has contributed to my father’s passing. What should have happened in my view is a rapid response paramedic should have been with my dad within 40 minutes to an hour.
“He should have been assessed on the kitchen floor and they could have made the call from there. He might still be with us. It is just unbelievable. How many people are going to lose their lives through this? Sooner or later it is going to be a child.”
His father died on Sunday at 9.45am.
Mr Williams said that the ambulance crew, when they arrived, had been “brilliant” and “just trying to do their job in a very difficult situation”.
“It’s not the ambulance crew’s fault, they can’t do their jobs because of politics,” he said. “I feel sorry for the ambulance crews as they are doing two calls a day because they are outside hospitals. The whole system is wrong.”
Jeff Morris, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s operations manager for the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board area, said: “We experienced considerable delays at hospitals in the area on Tuesday as a result of continued pressures across the whole health system.
“We lost 101 hours because of handover delays at Morriston Hospital alone, which is the equivalent of just under nine emergency ambulance crews unavailable to respond to patients for a whole shift. This meant some patients, including Mr Williams, unfortunately waited longer than we would like for an ambulance, and we appreciate how upsetting this must have been for him and his family.”
A spokesman for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said Mr Williams had been brought to Morriston Hospital with minor injuries after a fall at home. He was then assessed in the emergency department, but doctors were unable to identify a reason for his fall.
The spokesman added: “Later on, Mr Williams’s general condition began to deteriorate and, due to this, doctors then decided to admit him to a ward for further tests and observation.
“Unfortunately, Mr Williams’s health continued to deteriorate; staff did all they could to treat him but sadly he died a few days later.” A full investigation will be carried out.