MONMOUTH MP David Davies has condemned the care of a 75-year-old woman from Govilon after she was forced to wait over 16 hours for an ambulance. 

An out-of-hours doctor arranged an ambulance after the elderly lady, a stroke survivor who has also suffered two brain tumours in recent years, was found at home by her carer on Saturday afternoon. She was unable to move or stand.

 After waiting more than 16 hours, the ambulance arrived the following morning and she was eventually admitted to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.

 The carer made multiple calls to the Welsh Ambulance Service and was initially advised of a three hour waiting time but alerted the woman’s family when paramedics failed to appear.

 Her daughter Debbie Gordon, who lives three hours away, contacted local MP David Davies on Sunday morning as the ambulance was still yet to arrive.

 She explained that her mother needed an assessment as soon as possible and it was an “issue of personal dignity and hygiene” as she was unable to move from her chair to access a toilet or change clothes. 

Mr Davies described the delay as “disgraceful” and said it was “completely unacceptable” that an elderly woman had to wait so long for an emergency service to arrive.

 “I spoke to Richard Lee, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s director of operations, as soon as I became aware of the situation on Sunday morning and I am pleased he was able to resolve this issue,” he said.

 ‘However, I am concerned by the suggestion that these delays are being caused by a slow transfer of patients and a build-up of ambulance crews outside emergency departments at Nevill Hall and the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

 ‘It is not acceptable that ambulances are unable to turn around quickly enough at local hospitals and this needs to be sorted as a matter of urgency before a similar incident occurs. 

‘I am in the process of contacting Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and the Welsh Government to demand a full investigation.”  

Richard Lee, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Director of Operations, said: “We are sincerely sorry to this lady for her significant wait to be admitted to hospital.

“We appreciate how distressing this would have been for both this lady and her family, and it does not reflect the experience we want to provide for our patients.

“This weekend there were significant pressures across the unscheduled care system, which meant we faced considerable delays in handing over patients at hospitals in the area.

“Regrettably this led to some patients, including this lady, waiting longer than we would like for assistance. While she waited her condition was monitored by a clinician in our Clinical Contact Centre.

“We have discussed this matter with Mr Davies and would be happy to talk through any remaining queries that he or this lady’s family may have together. In the meantime we hope she makes a good recovery.”

A spokesman for the ambulance service stressed that the arrival of an ambulance was based on when a vehicle became available rather than any conversations held with Mr Davies.