A VULNERABLE woman was left waiting for an ambulance on the side of a road following an accident.

On March 14, an 83-year-old woman from Wrexham was crossing Frog Lane in Holt when she sadly fell and broke her hip, shoulder and elbow.

Neighbours in the area immediately dialled 999 and helped her as much as possible during the wait which was challenging due to the road remaining open for traffic.

The family have asked for her to remain anonymous.

The woman's nephew has expressed his frustration over the wait and claims his aunt already had underlying health issues making her extremely uncomfortable.

He says elderly and vulnerable patients need to be prioritised more, despite the existing strain and pressures faced by the Welsh Ambulance Service.

He said: "The length of wait for both ambulance and admittance to hospital ward is unacceptable.

"It is horrific and an experience you would not wish upon your worse enemy."

The ambulance team confirmed a 999 call was made at 4.44pm and they arrived at 8.20pm. Yet, it was hours after that she was admitted to Wrexham Maelor Hospital due to the lengthy wait in the ambulance outside. 

Steve Williams, Interim Service Manager for Emergency Medical Services in north Wales at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We are deeply sorry to hear about the patient’s experience, which we know will have been a painful and distressing wait for all involved.

“This is not the level of service we wish to provide to patients.

“Our ambulance service is under extreme and well-documented pressure as a result of wider system pressures across the NHS.

“Like us, hospital colleagues are working at full capacity at a time when flow across the system is severely constrained.

“This often leads to our vehicles being held up at hospitals, which in turn means that other patients in the community have a long wait for help, sometimes many hours.

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“We’re working as an organisation and a wider system to actively explore solutions, as the current situation is untenable for patients and staff across health and social care.

“As an ambulance service, we’re thinking very differently about the way we deliver services in future, and we are already testing some new ways of working across Wales to understand how we can relieve some of the pressure in the system while continuing to provide patients with the care they need.

“We invite the patient and their family to contact our Putting Things Right team directly to discuss their concerns.”