Welsh ambulance service reviews call after 93-year-old waited hours for help
Margaret Owen’s son says she waited more than ten hours on the floor after a fall. The ambulance service says its preliminary review found aspects of the call that need further investigation.
Margaret Owen, 93, waited more than ten hours on the floor after falling at her home in Abercynon, Wales, on 4 October, according to her son’s account reported by BBC News. She suffered fractures and needed surgery. The Welsh Ambulance Service says a preliminary review has identified aspects of how the call was handled that require further investigation.
Her son, Graham Anthony, said a lifeline alarm called him at 06:15, though he did not know how long she had been on the floor before activating it. Owen has dementia and struggled to remember exactly what happened, he told the BBC.
What happened during Margaret Owen’s ambulance wait
Anthony said an ambulance was called at 07:35. A St John Ambulance worker arrived at the ambulance service’s request at 15:30, he said, and an ambulance came about 90 minutes later to take Owen to hospital. Anthony described hearing his mother repeatedly ask for help and sometimes scream in pain while they waited.
Owen fractured her femur and shoulder and underwent surgery, BBC News reported. She was still at Royal Glamorgan Hospital when the report was published on 24 October. Anthony praised the crew that eventually attended, saying they treated his mother well, but said the wait had shaken his confidence in the health service’s ability to respond.
Welsh Ambulance Service examines call handling
Lee Brooks, the service’s chief operating officer, apologised for Owen’s experience. He said waiting almost eight hours for help was below the standard the service wanted to provide. Staff were examining whether they could have responded differently, he said. The service has not established what caused the delay.
Anthony said he had lodged a formal complaint with the ambulance service and the Welsh government. The ambulance trust’s complaints guidance says it aims to give a final response within 30 working days, although complex cases or those involving significant harm can take longer. No outcome of Anthony’s complaint has been announced.
The case comes amid wider pressure on ambulance response times in Wales. BBC News reported that 10,977 patients waited at least 12 hours for an ambulance in August, 733 fewer than in July. Those figures describe the wider service and do not establish why Owen waited.
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Sources and context
- Abercynon woman, 93, waits 10 hours on floor for an ambulanceBBC News
- Lee BrooksWelsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
- Complaints and ConcernsWelsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.