Wrexham woman, 77, faced agonising wait outside Maelor Hospital

Barbara Owen, who is from Wrexham, had been discovered on the floor of her home by her morning carer on Wednesday, October 20.

According to her son Gareth Owen, an ambulance arrived within 'about an hour' before 77-year-old Barbara was then diagnosed with a serious UTI infection.

The pair were told that Mrs Owen should be taken to hospital right away as there was a 'serious risk of sepsis setting in' as a result of the infection.

But, when taken to Wrexham Maelor she endured a 12-hour wait in the back of an ambulance before being treated.

Barbara's son Gareth said: "Doctors (ambulance crew) has diagnosed a serious infection (UTI) and said that was the reason for my mum feeling tired and poorly the last couple of days – and the reason her energy levels were low causing her to fall.

"As a matter of priority, they wanted to get her in to hospital and get an IV drip into her arm with strong antibiotics as there was a serious risk of sepsis setting in. Tired, anxious and very, very worried my mother initially refused but after some assurance and coaxing from the paramedics that she’d be 'tucked up in a nice bed with a nurse looking after her' she relented.

"They took her at 1pm. She sat in the back of that ambulance in the A&E car park for over 12 hours. This is without seeing a doctor, without having any of her usual medication - let alone antibiotics that were so desperately needed.

"All I kept being told by receptionists was 'this is what it’s like'. At one point there were 13 ambulances queuing up outside – that’s 13 fewer life saving ambulances and crews on the road. There is a systemic breakdown of the NHS in Wrexham. People shrug and apologise. This isn’t acceptable and someone should be held accountable.

"The planning at the hospital is rotten and I'm fed up of the excuses. It's time for solutions."

In response, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) told The Leader that Wrexham Maelor is currently facing a problem with discharging patients from the hospital which is contributing to this issue.

Dr Steve Stanaway, Medical Director at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said on Thursday, October 21: “We are very sorry to hear one of our patients is unhappy with the care they received and we would encourage them to contact us directly with any concerns. That way we can look at individual issues and pick out relevant details to see where we can improve as well as offer an adequate explanation to the patient.

“Our Emergency Department was extremely busy yesterday as well as today, resulting in longer waiting times than usual, despite the best efforts of our nursing and medical staff.

“Patients are always prioritised according to their clinical need and monitored throughout their time in our Emergency Department. The hospital is still operating under reduced capacity given the changes we have had to make as a result of COVID-19, and to ensure we are able to comply with social distancing.

"There remains unprecedented demands on health and social care services at this time. There are ongoing challenges to discharge many patients from hospital to suitable accommodation or care services, which impacts flow through the entire hospital system, and on our ability to bring patients into and through the Emergency Department in a timely manner.

"There are similar issues across the NHS and the Maelor hospital team are constantly focused on this issue. We have several processes and procedures in place to ensure the safety of patients if they need to wait in an ambulance.

"We would also ask the public to help us; patients who do not need full emergency hospital treatment may find that they can get appropriate advice and care from other NHS services, including our minor injuries units and local pharmacies. Please visit the BCUHB website or contact NHS 111 for advice if you are unsure where to go."

Mr Owen said his mother is expected to return home in the coming days.