‘My mother-in-law spent years working for NHS. Last week she waited 10 hours outside hospital in an ambulance’
Family furious after 84-year-old left waiting in ambulance for 10 hours
- An 84-year-old woman, Patricia Stain, endured a wait of over 10 hours in an ambulance outside Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham after suffering a fall.
- Her family called for greater "compassion" for elderly patients, noting Mrs Stain was in pain and later diagnosed with a fractured hip.
- University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHB), which operates Heartlands, apologised for the delays, attributing them to significant seasonal pressures, an 8% increase in ambulance arrivals, and an early surge in flu cases.
- NHS England deemed the wait "absolutely unacceptable" and is committed to reducing ambulance handover delays, with UHB aiming for an average 42-minute handover by March next year.
- West Midlands Ambulance Service emphasised that prolonged handover delays prevent ambulances from responding to new calls, thereby impacting patient care across the community.