Woman died after waiting 15 HOURS for an ambulance

CORONER ISSUES URGENT WARNING IN PREVENTION OF FUTURE DEATHS REPORT

- By STEVE BAGNALL Daily Post Reporter [e-mail]

THE death of a woman who waited more than 15 hours for an ambulance has sparked an urgent warning from a coroner.

Assistant Coroner for North Wales East and Central, Kate Robertson, said delays in ambulances handing over patients at hospitals was tying up resources.

She said one of the main reasons for this was that people who can be discharged from the main hospitals have to remain because there is no social care provision or community hospitals to move them to.

She has sent a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, expressing her concerns, following an inquest she conducted into the death of Jeanette Sidlow Beech.

The inquest heard Mrs Beech had a history of alcohol withdrawal-related seizures.

On August 2, 2024, she began to feel unwell at her home.

Her husband contacted the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) at 12.52pm.

The call was categorised as Green 3 response with an estimated time of arrival given as two hours.

A second call was made at 3.16pm, indicating increased pain and vomiting with an impending seizure, and the incident was upgraded to an Amber 2 category after clinical review.

A third call was made at 3.51am, when Jeanette was struggling to breathe, her body was seizing up and she was vomiting. The call was generated as red.

An ambulance arrived at 4.05am and, despite efforts to save her, Ms Beech was confirmed as having died at 4.50am.

A narrative conclusion was given at the inquest.