"We waited and waited": Man who died from stroke in Cornwall had 13 hour ambulance delays
South Western Ambulance Service says its working to "improve the service that patients receive"
Last updated 13th Jan 2023
A man who waited 13 hours for an ambulance in Cornwall has died after a stroke.
Tony Hudson, 74, waited 13 hours for an ambulance near Bodmin, following a suspected stroke on Thursday 15 December.
Di Hudson, Tony's wife, told us: "I realised this was quite serious and I eventually got through to a handler. They told me they didn't know how long an ambulance would take but it would probably take a little while.
"We just sat there and we waited and waited"
"The ambulance eventually came at 10 past 10 the following morning, so from the initial call that was almost 14 hours. During the night I called maybe two or three times again.
"He started to deteriorate, he was much more slurred and he couldn't understand what I was saying to him. He slid to the floor at about 1'o'clock in the morning and I had to make him comfortable on the floor".
Tony later passed away on 27 December following the incident.
The latest figures from NHS England revealed the South West ranked highest with time lost in ambulance handover delays. The Royal Cornwall Hospital was also the second highest on the list for arrivals waiting over 30 minutes to hand over patients.
The data shows the percentage of ambulance arrivals waiting that time in the Duchy to be 85%.
"I want people to sit up and take notice"
Di added: "When we moved down in April, the one thing that did worry us was the fact that there was just one main hospital.
"It always did worry us. I want to tell this story because it's so easy to see it on the television and think that's awful but there's the human side to this. We are all in shock.
"I don't know if Tony would have survived. And I'll never know".
In a statement: "A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said they were sorry they could not provide Mr Hudson with "a timely response.
"Under enormous pressure"
"Our ambulance clinicians strive every day to deliver their best care for patients, but our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments.
“Health and social care services are under enormous pressure. We are working with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive".