An 89-year-old woman died in hospital after being forced to wait 14 hours for an ambulance following a fall.
Valerie Hill fell and broke her thigh at Ty Bargoed Care Home in Bargoed, South Wales and had to endure ‘a long lie’ on the floor, her inquest heard.
An ambulance arrived after 14 hours, before she later died in hospital from pneumonia.
Senior Coroner for South Wales Central, Graeme Hughes described ambulance delays in the region as ‘intolerable’ and warned Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan of their ‘devastating’ outcomes.
This has led to an ‘acute concern’ among the area’s coroners, he said.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) have a 15-minute handover expectation, but evidence shows this target is only met 10-20% of the time.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTMUHB) was found not to be ‘the worst in Wales’.
Mr Hughes submitted his Prevention of Future Death report to the Ms Morgan who has until August 9 to respond.
Mr Hughes said: ‘Valerie died on 11 March 2022 at Royal Glamorgan Hospital, following a fall at Ty Bargoed Care Home on 7 March 2022.
‘She endured a long lie on the floor of over 14 hours whilst waiting for an ambulance to attend.
‘It is possible that this long lie exacerbated known medical conditions. It is probable that the lack of risk assessments completed and referrals for Valerie during her time at Ty Bargoed meant appropriate precautions were not taken to prevent further falls.
‘It is possible, due to long ambulance handover times across Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board and inadequate systems in place to effectively manage patient flow that this contributed to the long lie.
‘In answer to my question to him as to whether a situation akin to that which Valerie faced on 7 March 2022 could happen again today, he (NHS deputy chief executive) accepted that that was a fair conclusion and that the same risks remain in the system.
“My concern is that this disconnect is having a significant effect upon how the system for conveying acutely ill patients in the community to hospital is operating and changes are indicated to address this system dysfunctionality.’
Ms Hill died of pneumonia and a fall leading to a periprosthetic fracture of femur, he said. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and frailty of old age were contributing factors.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
