Women Die After Waiting in Ambulances at Hospital



(Manchester, England) Two critically-ill elderly women were left waiting in ambulances outside the Royal Oldham Hospital emergency room and subsequently died.

They were assessed by ambulance crews as ‘very sick’ and were both suspected of having suffered heart attacks.

The A&E department was so busy that all but the most urgent cases were being sent to other hospitals at the time. All five resuscitation beds at Oldham were full.

The two patients were assessed and treated by a casualty doctor and senior nurse in the ambulances.

It is understood neither actually had suffered a heart attack by the time they were admitted – although both later died at the hospital.[…]

Union official Craig Wilde, north west ambulance spokesman for Unison, said: "It is completely unacceptable to leave critically ill patients in ambulances outside A&E departments. It puts our members in a terrible position."

Patients groups said they had reports of significant overcrowding at the hospital.

David Cartwright, from the Patients Council, said: "We have been receiving numerous calls over the past few months regarding Oldham A&E being fit to burst, and on some occasions some patients taking over six hours to be treated.

"A colleague advised that ambulances were eight deep on Monday evening queuing to get access with sick patients on-board."

It seems that the medical and hospital staffers are doing their very best but are simply overloaded.