Cancer patient waits seven hours on floor for ambulance despite living next to Glan Clwyd hospital
Keith Royles, from Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, fell and broke his hip while cutting grass in September this year.The district hospital for his area, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, which falls under Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, can be seen from Mr. Royles’ house.
Mr. Royles' daughter Tina described the situation as “heartbreaking”.“We called an ambulance and were told that there would be a wait of between four to seven hours for an ambulance," she said.
Tina Royles and her sister, Bea, described the situation as “incredibly frustrating”.
The Welsh Ambulance Service, who apologised to Mr. Royles and his family, said hospital handover delays are the “single biggest reason” why they cannot get to some patients quickly.
Speaking to Y Byd ar Bedwar, Mr Royles' daughter added: “We called several times and my sister even tried to flag down an ambulance but they said they couldn’t help.”
Mr. Royles, his wife, and his daughter are all trained nurses and were concerned that moving him without supervision could worsen injuries.
It was raining heavily, so neighbours built a temporary shelter over Mr. Royles to attempt to keep him warm and dry. He lay underneath it on a concrete floor, until an ambulance arrived seven hours after their initial phone call.
Once the paramedics arrived, they received a call to send Mr. Royles to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, as Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan was said to be too busy.The family were told that the paramedics successfully made the argument that the patient lived right across the road from Glan Clwyd hospital and were then able to take Mr. Royles there.
• “The system is broken”
“As a family, we’re not faulting the staff, but the system is broken," Mr. Royles' daughter said."I feel sorry for the people that have gotten into the service because it must be so frustrating and heartbreaking to be in that situation."They must be leaving in their droves." Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We are deeply sorry about Mr. Royles’ experience, which was no doubt a painful and anxious wait for all involved.
“Hospital handover delays remain the single biggest reason we cannot get to some patients quickly. It’ll take a system-wide effort to resolve a system-wide issue.”
Ysbyty Glan Clwyd’s Emergency Department has been subject to two damning reports by Health Inspectorate Wales.
The Royles family told their story as part of Y Byd ar Bedwar’s investigation into the Emergency Department in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, which is currently under Welsh Government targeted intervention measures.
The department saw 49.3% of patients within the four hour target in October. This was the lowest figure for the whole of Wales. The national target is 95%.
