This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-25777574
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Fred Pring died while ambulances queued outside Wrexham hospital | Fred Pring died while ambulances queued outside Wrexham hospital |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| While a man lay dying at home waiting for paramedics, an ambulance was outside a hospital for nearly five hours until it could drop off a patient, an inquest has heard. | |
| Despite a fully-staffed ambulance service, Fred Pring, 74, from Mynydd Isa, Flintshire, died 42 minutes after his wife had first called 999. | |
| She had rung four times but there was not an ambulance available. | She had rung four times but there was not an ambulance available. |
| Mr Pring was categorised as a lower priority, the inquest in Ruthin heard. | Mr Pring was categorised as a lower priority, the inquest in Ruthin heard. |
| He died in March 2013 at his home, had been receiving treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | He died in March 2013 at his home, had been receiving treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. |
| On Friday, Gill Pleming, from the Welsh Ambulance Service, said on the day Mr Pring died there were seven ambulances and one rapid response vehicle to cover Flintshire and Wrexham. | |
| But, she said, at the time of Mrs Pring's first call, there were no ambulances available. | But, she said, at the time of Mrs Pring's first call, there were no ambulances available. |
| Coroner John Gittins asked: "Presumably the caller isn't told that? They're not told 'Sorry, we haven't got one available'?" | Coroner John Gittins asked: "Presumably the caller isn't told that? They're not told 'Sorry, we haven't got one available'?" |
| Miss Pleming replied: "No." | |
| The court was told one ambulance had spent nearly five hours (287 minutes) waiting at Wrexham Maelor Hospital to drop off a patient. | The court was told one ambulance had spent nearly five hours (287 minutes) waiting at Wrexham Maelor Hospital to drop off a patient. |
| Another ambulance had been at the same hospital for more than an hour and a half. | Another ambulance had been at the same hospital for more than an hour and a half. |
| "In a nutshell, six vehicles waiting to transfer patients into Wrexham Maelor Hospital, three waiting to transfer patients into Glan Clwyd - all experiencing delays significantly beyond the 15 minute target handover," the coroner said. | "In a nutshell, six vehicles waiting to transfer patients into Wrexham Maelor Hospital, three waiting to transfer patients into Glan Clwyd - all experiencing delays significantly beyond the 15 minute target handover," the coroner said. |
| 'Red two' | 'Red two' |
| Mr Pring's case had been classified by the ambulance service as 'red two', which is a lower priority than 'red one' which means an immediate threat to life, but Miss Pleming said the aim was to arrive within eight minutes for either classification. | |
| Mr Gittins asked whether the call would be upgraded to a higher priority if there was a delay in sending an ambulance. | Mr Gittins asked whether the call would be upgraded to a higher priority if there was a delay in sending an ambulance. |
| "No," Miss Pleming replied. | |
| Mr Gittins said: "The truth of the system is that members of the public could cause chaos - if you want to get an ambulance there, you just tell them that he's dead." | |
| Earlier a Home Office pathologist said it was extremely difficult to answer whether Mr Pring's life would have been saved if an ambulance had arrived sooner. | Earlier a Home Office pathologist said it was extremely difficult to answer whether Mr Pring's life would have been saved if an ambulance had arrived sooner. |
| Dr Brian Rogers said the cause of death was heart disease and chronic lung disease. | Dr Brian Rogers said the cause of death was heart disease and chronic lung disease. |
| He told the inquest Mr Pring's already compromised arteries struggled to cope with added pressure from weakened lungs. | |
| 'Too late' | 'Too late' |
| "His heart had been failing, he had chest pain because his heart was struggling and his lungs weren't functioning properly," Dr Rogers said. | "His heart had been failing, he had chest pain because his heart was struggling and his lungs weren't functioning properly," Dr Rogers said. |
| "Whether or not earlier intervention would have altered the outcome is impossible to say from the pathology evidence. It's possible it would, it's possible it wouldn't." | "Whether or not earlier intervention would have altered the outcome is impossible to say from the pathology evidence. It's possible it would, it's possible it wouldn't." |
| But Mr Pring's cardiologist told the hearing on Thursday if the ambulance had arrived after the first 999 he would have survived. | But Mr Pring's cardiologist told the hearing on Thursday if the ambulance had arrived after the first 999 he would have survived. |
| The consultant told the coroner he would have expected the ambulance to have arrived in six minutes. | The consultant told the coroner he would have expected the ambulance to have arrived in six minutes. |
| Mr Pring's widow Joyce called 999 three times for an ambulance for her husband but was told the service was "very busy" in her area. | Mr Pring's widow Joyce called 999 three times for an ambulance for her husband but was told the service was "very busy" in her area. |
| She called a fourth time to say they were "too late" and that her husband had passed away. | She called a fourth time to say they were "too late" and that her husband had passed away. |