A pensioner was left "moaning in agony" on the pavement after he was left waiting 10 hours for an ambulance, North Wales Live reports. Emlyn Roberts, 69, was left on the pavement while walking along Penrhyn Road in Colwyn Bay at around 12.30pm on Tuesday, March 29.
His family said he was walking in the town centre when he fell over and sustained serious injuries, which left him in horrendous pain. Members of the public found Mr Roberts lying on the pavement complaining of pain in his hip and phoned for an ambulance, but were told to expect delays.
Mr Roberts' sister-in-law, Lynn Roberts, said an ambulance finally arrived just before 11pm, at which point he had been on the ground for more than ten hours. She said: "He was left for ten hours lying on the concrete, you can forgive a couple of hours, even a few hours if necessary, but ten hours is just not acceptable."
Among those who stopped to help was an off-duty volunteer first responder, who stayed by Mr Roberts' side until the ambulance came, according Lynn. She said local businesses and passers-by showed "incredible kindness", bringing blankets and hot water bottles to keep them warm as day turned to night.
Lynn said: "He'd been waiting for hours and the first responder had been phoning the ambulance people for updates but he was politely told to stop phoning. It was at that point I did get quite irate because my brother-in-law was lying on the floor, moaning in agony, and I couldn't do anything to help him.
"I spoke to someone and she said 'you'll just have to wait, we're doing what we can'. I said to her, ten hours is ridiculous."
She added: "We could've got him there much quicker ourselves but we didn't want to risk moving him by lifting him into the car in case there was untold damage. But I've got to say, the people of Colwyn Bay were incredible.
"The passers-by and shopkeepers were wishing him well, phoning ambulances, they were amazing. A member of the public had phoned the fire service and they came out too, and they did a marvellous job of managing the situation."
According to Mr Roberts' family, this is the second time something like this has happened within a matter of weeks. Lynn claims Mr Roberts was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd by ambulance on February 2, following a fall and waited more than 12 hours to be seen before doctors discovered he had broken his hip and his back.
Lynn said: "I don't think there's enough staff in the hospital to deal with the influx of patients. It's not just the wait for the ambulance, there's ambulances queuing outside hospitals because there's not enough people to treat them."
At approximately 10.45pm, officers from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene, shortly followed by the Welsh Ambulance Service. Mr Roberts was taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, where he is believed to be receiving treatment for a broken hip.
Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Director of Operations for the Emergency Medical Service, said: “There has been very high demand for our services this week, and this – coupled with the pressures across the entire urgent care system, including extensive hospital handover delays – has meant that some patients have waited much longer for our help, sometimes many hours.
"Regrettably, Mr Roberts was among those patients and we are deeply sorry for what will have been a distressing experience for all involved. We are actively engaged with colleagues across the health system to help improve flow so that ambulances can be released from emergency departments – being rendered unable to respond to the community in a timely way is frustrating for us as it is for patients.
"In the meantime, the public can help by using our services appropriately – if it's not a serious or life-threatening emergency, the first port of call should be the NHS 111 Wales website for advice, or local GP, pharmacist or Minor Injuries Unit. We would welcome contact should the family wish to explore our response further.”
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