Cornwall man with chest pain spends 15 hours in ambulance outside hospital
A man struggling to breathe with chest pains had to wait more than two hours for an ambulance - and spent a further 15 hours in an ambulance before being admitted to hospital.
Kevin Mingo, from Cornwall, has acute coronary syndrome. He has blockages in three arteries and is awaiting stents or heart surgery.
The 65-year-old was at work on a building site in Newquay yesterday (February 3) when he started to have chest pains. He was struggling to breathe easily and so his colleagues called an ambulance.
Kevin's wife Ann told ITV News they had to call South Western Ambulance Service three times and help arrived 2.5 hours later.
But she says her husband then waited in two different ambulances - having to swap vehicles at one point so the paramedics could finish their shift - for 15 hours outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital due to a lack of beds.
He was eventually admitted at 3am.
She has praised NHS staff for their hard work, but described the experiences as "terrifying" for her husband.
Ann told ITV News: "He said the crew were so disheartened because they basically spend the full shift just sat in the ambulances in the car park. People need help, but they can't do their jobs properly.
"It's frightening because at any point he could have gone into a full cardiac arrest. I know they've got people there, but it's still not the same as having it on hand.
"In that ambulance he's going to get more stressed than on a ward.
"He can't lie down, he can't relax. It's quite distressing for him."
Ann speaks to Kevin over the phone as he's in hospital
Speaking over the phone from his hospital bed, Kevin said he does not blame the ambulance service.
"It isn't the ambulance crews fault - I feel sorry for them. They want to do a job and they just can't because they're basically babysitting everybody."
The healthcare system in Cornwall is facing unprecedented levels of demand, with NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group saying services are "extremely stretched".
The CCG admitted ambulances facing "lengthy waiting times" to get people into hospital as it called on people to do all they can to help the NHS manage demand.
At the moment, more than 10 hospital wards across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been forced to close due to Covid outbreaks.
On top of that the NHS is dealing with the usual pressures of winter while more than 50 care homes are unable to accept new people due to Covid cases.
It means many people who are medically fit to leave hospital are unable to do so - because they have nowhere to go.
South Western Ambulance Service is experiencing its highest level of sustained pressure ever.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We’re sorry that some patients are having to wait longer for an ambulance as a result of health and social care being under severe pressure. The most significant impact is the length of time it’s taking us to hand over patients into busy hospitals. It’s an absolute priority for us and for our NHS partners to reduce these delays, so crews can get back out on the road for other patients.
“Our people are working incredibly hard day and night to enable us to be there for our patients, while prioritising those who are most seriously injured and ill.”