Man aged 92 waited 21 hours for an ambulance following a fall
A 92-YEAR-OLD man who suffered an agonising fall had to wait 21 hours for an ambulance on his kitchen floor.
Thomas Miles “severely” fractured his hip when he fell in his Aberdare home at about 1pm on Monday, October 18. A family member called for an ambulance straight away, but it didn’t turn up until 10am the following day – 21 hours after his accident.
Mr Miles spent the whole time on his back on the floor unable to eat solid food or go to the toilet. His family described the ordeal as “distressing” and said it left them in tears.
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Ambulance Service apologised for the “unacceptable wait” as prolonged hospital handover delays, a high volume of calls and staff absences “significantly hampered” ambulance waiting times.
Mr Miles’ son, Chris, 62, said: “I was in work when I got the phone call to say my father had taken a tumble.
“When I got there, he was lying in the kitchen annex on the floor, on his back up against the wall.
“He had been going to the fridge and he lost his balance, fell and spun backwards on to his back.”
Initially Chris said ambulance operators told the family the wait would be between two and six hours, which the family accepted. However, when the ambulance did not turn up hours after this, they grew concerned.
“The whole time he was on his back. We were afraid to move him because we didn’t know what was wrong with him and the ambulance people said not to move him.
“It was totally horrendous,” Chris said.
“I’m a first-aider so I assessed him and I knew it wasn’t his back and I knew I could move him very slightly to get cushions underneath him, but the worst part were his toilet needs, he couldn’t go to the toilet. It was absolutely horrific to see him there and not be able to do anything about it.
“All I could do was give him a drink through a straw and I was giving him paracetamol every four hours, but I couldn’t get him to eat anything because he was lying on his back so could have choked. The only thing I managed to get him to eat was an [ice cream] which he could swallow.”
Though Chris called the service about four or five more times within the 21-hour period, he said he was repeatedly told they would attend as soon as they could.
But as the hours went on, Mr Miles became increasingly uncomfortable and Chris started to worry the situation might become more serious.
He said: “I was frightened of him having blood clots because he was lying in the one position the whole time. He has really bad sores now because he had been lying in that position for so long.”
When the ambulance crew arrived at 10am on Tuesday morning, Chris said he couldn’t fault them. He said they apologised for the wait as soon as they turned up and were “marvellous” with his father.
They took Mr Miles to the Prince Charles hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, where he had an operation and is currently recovering.
When he had X-rays at the hospital they showed he had a severe hip fracture.
“You wouldn’t believe the pain he was in, he was in agony,” Chris said.
Chris said his experience makes him worried for the future.
He said: “It was very distressing to watch, we were in tears. You feel emotional and frustrated because you feel so helpless.
“It doesn’t make me feel very confident for the future whatsoever. You just don’t know when they’re going to come. I know they have to prioritise people, but a 92-year-old man in agony on the floor has to be some sort of priority.”
Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s assistant director of operations (emergency medical service), said: “We would like to extend a sincere apology to Mr Miles for an unacceptable wait for help.
“This is not the service we exist as an emergency ambulance service to provide, and we recognise how distressing it is for patients when they have to endure a very long wait. It’s not an acceptable position for anyone.
“Prolonged hospital handover delays, high call volume and staff absence have significantly hampered our ability to get to patients quickly in recent weeks.
“We continue to work with our health board and Welsh Government partners, as well as continue to support staff wellbeing, to try to resolve pressures across the entire urgent and emergency care system.
“In the meantime, we send Mr Miles our very best wishes and invite his family to contact the trust directly to discuss what happened in more detail.”