Scots man waits seven hours in 'sweltering' ambulance outside hospital after stroke

Daily Record

a day ago

"Between the time the doctor phoned the ambulance, it was close to 13 hours before I got to see the sight of a hospital bed."
A Scots man suffering from a stroke spent seven hours overnight in a "sweltering" ambulance waiting for a bed in hospital with no food or drink.
Brian Park, from Peterhead went to his local A&E at Peterhead Community Hospital on June 10 after losing feeling in his left arm, terrible balance and his face drooping to one side.
‌
A doctor assessed the terrified 53- year -old and called an ambulance to his home address after confirming he was suffering from a stroke.
‌
After a seven hour wait when he was finally transported to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at around 11pm, paramedics said he faced spending all night in the ambulance outside the hospital waiting for a bed.
Health Secretary Neil Grey, the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Grampian have all apologised to Mr Park following the ordeal.
Speaking to the Record, Brian said: "The paramedics told me early when we got there I could be in the ambulance all night, and it turns out I was.
"I fear someone in a much worse position would likely die either waiting for paramedics to arrive or waiting inside a stuffy ambulance for six hours, which was very uncomfortable.
"I was stuck in cramped conditions and was never offered anything to eat, not even a glass of water.
"I was lucky but some other poor sod might not have handled all that stress waiting to get admitted."
‌
‌
Brian had already lost his ability to speak, could't walk properly and was terrified as he lost control of his body due to the stroke but the scary episode was made so much worse by being stuck in a boiling vehicle for hours.
He said: "Between the time the doctor phoned the ambulance, it was close to 13 hours before I got to see the sight of a hospital bed.
"I was absolutely shattered as well as extremely anxious, which is not good for a person who has had a stroke.
‌
"After I got told I had a bed I was taken out the ambulance and taken to ward 101 around 6am."
Finally Brian was admitted but faced more delays when his CT scan was cancelled due to a "miscommunication."
He explained: "I had my vitals taken and told to wait for my CT Scan.
‌
"At 11am I was woken up to be told my CT Scan was cancelled because then finally at 4pm after another six hour wait I got my scan.
"They already knew in Aberdeen about my condition yet I had to languish inside a very hot ambulance all night then wait the best part of Tuesday to be treated.
"I dread to think what would have happened if my stroke was slightly worse, chances are I wouldn't be here now."
‌
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "We would like to sincerely apologise to Mr Park for the delay in the ambulance response. Our service was under significant pressure on 10 June with hospital handover delays at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary averaging six hours.
"These delays prevent our ambulance crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients, such as Mr Park. When a time is appropriate, we would ask Mr Park's family to contact our Patient Experience Team directly so we can look into this case further and personally discuss their concerns.'
‌
A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said: 'As is the case elsewhere in the UK, Ambulances are, at times, having to wait outside our Emergency Departments for longer than we would like. This is regrettable and we apologise to anyone who has been impacted by this.
'On Monday we saw close to 40% more people than on an average day at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's Emergency department – with 185 patient attendances, 150 of which were classed as majors.
'Our hospitals are regularly facing sustained pressure due to the volume of acutely ill patients arriving, delayed discharges, capacity in community healthcare settings and staffing pressures. This sometimes means we are unable to admit more patients to the department.
‌
'Increased demand on hospital space and capacity is a key issue in Grampian. We have the lowest number of beds per head of population in the country."
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
While Health Secretary, Neil Gray said: 'Patient safety remains our top priority, and I apologise to anyone who has experienced any waits for an ambulance to reach them.'
‌
'We are committed to ensuring that there are no unnecessary delays in responding and transferring patients to hospital.'
'We are aware of the specific challenges being faced in NHS Grampian in terms of turnaround times for ambulances at Hospital which can impact their ability to respond to patients in the community.
"We have convened regular meetings with the ambulance service and with NHS Grampian to help manage pressures and ensure they are taking appropriate actions to reduce delays, including looking at improving patient flow at Hospital sites.
'We continue to invest in the SAS workforce, including supporting the recruitment of 1388 additional staff since 2020, with further recruitment already underway this year."