POLITICIANS in North Wales have called for urgent action after inquests into the deaths of numerous residents found issues with ambulance and hospital waiting times.
In the last two weeks, inquests have been concluded regarding the deaths of Robert Dewhurst (Deganwy), Philip Hawkins (Rhyl), George Howell (Rhyl) and David Roberts (Llangollen), all of whom endured extensive waits either for or in an ambulance.
The inquest into the death of Philip Hawkins, who waited in an ambulance for 10 hours after it had arrived at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, ultimately led coroner David Pojur to file a Prevention of Future Deaths report.
Mr Dewhurst, meanwhile, was initially taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd due to too many ambulances at Glan Clwyd waiting to offload patients, before later being transferred to the Bodelwyddan hospital.
READ MORE:
Rhyl veteran endured 10-hour wait in ambulance after fall at home
Deganwy man who died after fall waited for ambulance for 12 hours
James Davies, Vale of Clwyd MP, said these cases are “all too frequent,” and called for Welsh Government to “re-establish safe healthcare”.
He said: "The detail of these inquests illustrates an infuriating and chaotic catalogue of inadequacies.
“These are, sadly, all too frequent within healthcare provision in North Wales, and their severity far exceeds those being experienced elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
"The NHS in Wales has been devolved to Cardiff Bay for a quarter of a century. Welsh Government urgently needs to demonstrate that it can re-establish safe healthcare for local people."
Mr Howell, it was heard at the inquest into his death, died at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd after being “deprived” of more extensive medical treatment due to waiting more than 12 hours for an ambulance.
Though, coroner Kate Robertson concluded that it was the fall that he had initially suffered which resulted in his death - not the 999 delay.
In the case of Mr Roberts, he also died at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd after being “asked not to phone again” by ambulance services as his condition worsened.
READ MORE:
Man waited for ambulance for seven hours due to ‘individual error’
Rhyl man was ‘deprived’ of treatment due to 12-hour ambulance delay
Gareth Davies, Vale of Clwyd MS, described the waiting times which these patients experienced as “unacceptable”.
He said: “While I completely understand the demand and pressures that ambulance staff face and my continuing gratitude to the hardworking and committed staff, I find it completely unacceptable for somebody to wait up to 12 hours for medical treatment when it is needed the most.
“How distressing must it be for someone to be in urgent need, in pain and sometimes lonely, only to be told not to ring back?
“We need compassion and understanding of people’s urgent medical needs, not just to be treated as a number or possibly even a problem.
“We need to see waiting times improving locally in Denbighshire and across the health board which is in special measures, and the leadership and resources given from Welsh Government, who are currently controlling Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).”
BCUHB was put into special measures for a second time in February amid "serious concerns about performance, leadership and culture".
It last entered special measures in 2015, in response to a series of problems and a damning report into a mental health unit.
The health board was not taken out of special measures until November 2020 on that occasion.
Janet Finch-Saunders, Aberconwy MS, said: “Only around 60 per cent of patients are seen within the four hour target at A&E in Gwynedd, Glan Clwyd, and Wrexham.
“In comparison, over 90 per cent are seen within the target at Llandudno’s minor injuries unit (MIU).
“I have made clear to the health board and minister for health and social services that an immediate measure that can be taken to reduce the waiting times for ambulances and A&E support in North Wales is enhancing services at Llandudno MIU.
“Additionally, the pressure on the acute sites could be reduced by Welsh Government and the health board delivering on the decade-old commitment to create a MIU in Rhyl.
“Our ambulances are overwhelmed. Our major hospitals are overwhelmed. It is time for Welsh Government and the health board to act urgently on my proposal to reduce pressure by investing in and expanding MIUs across the region.”
Darren Millar, Clwyd West MS, added: “My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones or who have come to harm as a result of not getting medical treatment quickly enough.
“Getting rapid access to an ambulance can mean the difference between life or death, so it’s a huge concern that patients and their loved ones in North Wales are not always getting ambulances quickly enough when faced with medical emergencies.
“We need a rapid plan of action from Welsh Government to address the problems in our hospitals so that, instead of stacking up in delays outside emergency departments, ambulances can get back on the road quickly to the next person in need.”
In July, the minister for health and social services, Eluned Morgan, set out the range of support being provided to BCUHB as part of special measures arrangements.
This included a specific focus on the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, as well as the progress made in the first three months of these arrangements.
Ms Morgan has said that, though she expects sustainable improvement to the delivery of health services across North Wales, this will take time to materialise.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Despite continued pressure on our budgets, we are increasing our investment in the NHS, and the Welsh Ambulance Service has recruited 399 more ambulance staff over the past three years.
“We have been clear with the BCUHB of expectations for immediate improvement in ambulance patient handover performance to support better patient experience and release ambulance crews to respond to other patients in the community.
“We are also providing an extra £3million to the health board each year to improve its overall urgent and emergency care service.
“The number of urgent calls for ambulances continue to be at historically high levels, but we are seeing improvements.
“June saw the best red-call ambulance performance for Wales in 16 months, and a further improvement in patient handover performance.”
Liam Williams, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s executive director of quality and nursing, added: “We would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to the family of Mr Roberts, Mr Howell, Mr Dewhurst and Mr Hawkins.
“It is enormously difficult for our staff and for us organisationally when we have to explain to bereaved families at inquest why we weren’t able to do that for their loved one.
“Hospital handover delays continue to be a significant challenge across the NHS in Wales and is the number one reason that we don’t have our resources in place to get to patients quickly.
“We lost more than 18,500 hours at hospitals across Wales in June, including 6,600 hours in North Wales.
“When our ambulance crews are tied up at hospitals, they’re unable to respond to other 999 calls and regrettably, we know this leads to patient harm.
“We have seen improvements in recent months but there is much more still to do and we will continue to work with local health boards – including BCUHB – and Welsh Government to ensure ambulance crews are able to transfer care to hospitals promptly and are subsequently released to respond to patients in a timely way.
“We are committed to working jointly with BCUHB colleagues to deliver meaningful change that meet the local population expectation and coroners’ recommendations.”
Dr Nick Lyons, executive medical director at BCUHB, added: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Roberts, Mr Howell, Mr Dewhurst and Mr Hawkins.
“We treat the coroner’s findings very seriously and we will provide a comprehensive response to the concerns they have raised, detailing the actions we have taken and plan to take.
“Our emergency departments across North Wales remain extremely busy resulting in much longer waiting time than we would like, despite the best efforts of our nursing and medical staff.
“We continue to face challenges to discharge patients from hospital to suitable accommodation or care services.
“This does impact flow through the entire healthcare system, impacting upon on our ability to bring patients into and through the emergency department in a timely manner.
“We continue to work with our health and social care partners to improve this. We would urge the public to continue to help us by choosing the right service for their needs.
“Patients who do not need full emergency treatment may find that they can get appropriate advice and care from other NHS services, including GP surgeries, minor injury units and local pharmacies.
“Please visit the health board website or contact NHS 111 for advice if you are unsure where to go.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here