Pensioner waits 10 hours for ambulance 'in agony' on pavement

A pensioner was left "moaning in agony" on the pavement during a ten-hour wait for an ambulance in north Wales.

Emlyn Roberts, 69, had fallen down while walking along Penrhyn Road in Colwyn Bay just after midday on Tuesday 29 March.

Mr Roberts' family said the fall had caused serious injuries, whilst members of the public heard the man complaining of hip pain.

'The people of Colwyn Bay were incredible'

An ambulance was called for, but they were told to expect delays.

Mr Roberts' sister-in-law, Lynn Roberts, explained that an ambulance arrived at 11pm: "He was left for ten hours lying on the concrete, you can forgive a couple of hours, even a few hours if necessary, but ten hours is just not acceptable."

Lynn credits the kindness shown by passers-by, including an off-duty volunteer first responder, who stayed by her relative's side throughout. Others also brought blankets and hot water bottles as it turned colder.

"The first responder had been phoning the ambulance people for updates, but he was politely told to stop phoning. It was at that point I did get quite irate, because my brother-in-law was lying on the floor, moaning in agony, and I couldn't do anything to help him.

"I spoke to someone and she said 'you'll just have to wait, we're doing what we can'. I said to her, ten hours is ridiculous.

"We could've got him there much quicker ourselves, but we didn't want to risk moving him by lifting him into the car in case there was untold damage", Lynn added.

Despite the delays from the emergency services, Lynn acknowledged that "the people of Colwyn Bay were incredible".

According to Mr Roberts' family, this was their second experience of long wait times in two months. In February, they said Mr Roberts was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd by ambulance after a fall and waited more than 12 hours before doctors confirmed he had broken his hip and back.

Lynn believes the problem stems from the lack of staff in the hospital, rather than the wait for the ambulance itself, with many vehicles queuing outside with patients.

It is thought that Mr Roberts is now receiving treatment for a broken hip.

Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Director of Operations for the Emergency Medical Service, said: "There has been very high demand for our services this week, and this – coupled with the pressures across the entire urgent care system, including extensive hospital handover delays – has meant that some patients have waited much longer for our help, sometimes many hours."

She added: "Regrettably, Mr Roberts was among those patients and we are deeply sorry for what will have been a distressing experience for all involved.

"We are actively engaged with colleagues across the health system to help improve flow so that ambulances can be released from emergency departments – being rendered unable to respond to the community in a timely way is frustrating for us as it is for patients."