Pensioner, 73, is left waiting more than 19 HOURS in an ambulance outside hospital after suffering a suspected stroke
- Ted Edwards, 73, was kept inside the ambulance because of a shortage of beds
- The pensioner had suffered a suspected stroke or sepsis on Friday night
- He was left waiting for more than 19 hours at Grange University Hospital in Wales
A pensioner was left waiting for more than 19 hours in an ambulance outside a hospital after suffering a suspected stroke or sepsis.
Ted Edwards, 73, was kept inside the ambulance because of a shortage of beds or doctors inside the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales.
His worried family tried to reach NHS staff for updates but were told that he was still being monitored in the ambulance.
Ted Edwards, 73, (pictured, right) suffered a suspected stroke or sepsis on Friday night and was was kept inside the ambulance more than 19 hours
Ted’s niece Poppy Vaughan Winter, 25, said the family were ‘really concerned’ after he fell ill on Friday night at home near Monmouth.
She said her uncle had been waiting more than 19 hours on Saturday night and on Sunday morning they were waiting for updates from NHS staff.
Speaking on Saturday, she said: ‘We’ve just been told his condition’s not changed, but he is still waiting in the ambulance.’
By Saturday night, he was still being was monitored inside the ambulance at Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales because of a shortage of beds or doctors
In a tweet on Saturday, The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board who run the hospital said: ‘The Grange University Hospital is under significant pressure this afternoon due to the very high number of Covid patients presenting.
‘We’re now struggling to identify beds for our patients and we also have a high number of ambulances waiting outside the hospital.’
A health board spokeswoman said there were ‘significant pressures’ on staffing levels.
The pensioner’s family were ‘really concerned’ after he fell ill at home near Monmouth. A health board spokeswoman for the hospital said there were ‘significant pressures’ on staffing levels and demand in the hospital. Pictured: Ted Edwards
She said: ‘This is a very serious situation and we are experiencing this demand on our services before we see the normal increase in demand as the result of cold weather and flu in the winter.’
Bob Tooby of the Welsh Ambulance Service said: ‘We now have over 1,900 Covid 19 patients at hospitals across Wales.
‘This has included some long delays with patients on our ambulances, but it would not be appropriate for the patients or indeed their families for us to provide the specific details at this time.’