Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MUM’S 999 HORROR
‘Petrified’ woman drove seizure baby to hospital after ambulance no-show
A “PETRIFIED” mother has claimed she was forced to drive her sick baby to hospital after an ambulance failed to turn up.
Maria Hale, 28, made a frantic 999 call when 16-month-old Bella, right, took a seizure at their home in East Belfast.
She said: “Bella was shaking and her eyes were rolling and she went limp. It was really scary and was worse because we waited so long.”
I was just terrified she might take another fit on the way in the car MARIA HALE BELFAST YESTERDAY
A MUM has hit out at a “shocking” ambulance shortage after claiming she had to drive her sick baby daughter to hospital.
Maria Hale, 28, said she was “petrified” when 16-month-old Bella took a fit on Sunday morning.
The mother of three made a 999 call at 10.05am and struggled to remain calm while waiting for an ambulance.
She was horrified when after a 15-minute wait a paramedic in a Rapid Response Vehicle pulled up outside her Short Strand home in East Belfast.
Maria said: “Bella was shaking and her eyes were rolling and then she just went limp.
“It was really scary and was worse because we waited so long before anybody arrived. Then we saw it wasn’t an ambulance pulling up outside the door, it was just a car.
“The driver of the Rapid Response Vehicle came in and asked if I knew there was no ambulance coming.
“He said he had come down from Ballymena because of a shortage of cover in Belfast and asked if I was OK to drive Bella to hospital myself. I could not believe he was serious. She was so sick.”
Maria, who has two other children under three, said she quickly got dressed to drive Bella to the Royal Victoria Hospital while her partner stayed behind to mind the other children.
She claimed: “I was terrified she might take another fit on the way up in the car.
“Bella took several more seizures in hospital over the next couple of days so it was pure luck that didn’t happen while I was driving.”
Maria said she was shocked by what had happened.
HOSPITAL
She added: “Why are there not enough ambulances in Belfast? This is a huge worry if something happens again.
“If we had rung a taxi rather than 999 Bella would have been in hospital much sooner and I would not have had to drive while she sat in a car seat in the back where I could not be beside her and see how she was doing.
“You place your trust in public services at times like that, you believe they will be there to help but it seems they are up to their eyes.”
Maria said Bella was hospitalised for four days while being monitored for suspected epilepsy.
She added: “Hospital staff were absolutely great and I don’t like to complain but I have been so shocked by what happened I feel like I have to speak out. This should not be happening.”
The Ambulance Service said staff would be happy to meet Bella’s family but emphasised the service “responded within current frameworks and standards by dispatching a paramedicled Rapid Response Vehicle”. A spokesman added: “Proper dispatch protocols were followed in relation to this incident being determined as Category B – serious but not immediately life-threatening.
“The Rapid Response Vehicle arrived at 10:20 hours, within the existing response target time for Category B calls of 21 minutes.
“NIAS takes seriously any and all concerns expressed by the public about our service, and will take into account the issues that have been raised when reviewing our future approach to clinical responses.”