NHS Wales: Woman thought she would die waiting for ambulance

A woman who waited 12 hours for an ambulance has said she thought she was going to die in her home while waiting for treatment.

Louise Harrison, 37, said she spent almost a week calling NHS 111 after falling ill with the flu over Christmas, only to call an ambulance for a urinary tract infection which spread to her kidneys. There is no other option.

It arrived 12 hours after the initial call, but she said she had to wait another three hours outside the hospital before being seen.

“I thought I was going to die in my room, to be honest, I really did,” she said. The ambulance service apologized and described the incident as a critical incident due to increased demand on 999 and delays in handing over to hospital..

Ms Harrison, from Triherbert, Rhonda Cynon-Tough, said she was drawn to ambulances to respond to life-threatening illnesses after her experience. I have lost all confidence.

“I didn’t feel confident calling. [the ambulance] Anyway, I knew there were problems and they were being delayed but I had no idea it was that bad, it was really a shock.”

The mother-of-three said she called NHS 111 on seven separate occasions and was put on hold for more than two hours on one occasion.

Ms Harrison said the service called several times during that time to clarify whether she still needed an ambulance, and was offered a taxi instead.

Twelve hours later, when she reached the hospital, her troubles were not over, as she had to wait for three hours outside the hospital.

He recalled counting seven ambulances waiting for treatment outside the hospital.

“Treatment should not be carried out in any emergency ambulance that is out on the street carrying seriously ill or injured people,” he said.

“It’s quite a shock, it will really stay with me.”

Ms Harrison was not the only patient waiting outside hospitals across Wales on Monday, as was half of all patients. Welsh Ambulance Service Cars were doing the same.

Due to the demand on the service, It was described as a rare critical event. On Monday evening, the public was urged to call 999 only for serious emergencies.

The last time such an event was announced was in December 2020 – and once again it was Covid, but this time it was the flu that played its part.

Jason Cullen, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, apologized to those who waited too long and waited in “really difficult conditions this winter”.

On Tuesday, health chiefs presented a plea. People should be careful about how much they drink on New Year’s Eve, and not add more stress to an already stressed system.