Elderly Woman Endures 10-Hour Wait on Floor for Ambulance

A 93-year-old woman, Margaret Owen, experienced a harrowing ordeal after breaking bones in her home on October 4, waiting ten-and-a-half hours for an ambulance. Her son, Graham Anthony, reported that after his mother's lifeline alarm activated, an ambulance was called at 7:35 AM. However, it was not until 3:30 PM that a St John Ambulance worker arrived, followed another 90 minutes later by an ambulance to transport her to the hospital.

Owen sustained fractures to her femur and shoulder, requiring surgery. She remained at Royal Glamorgan Hospital for treatment. Anthony described the situation as "not good enough," expressing a feeling of hopelessness from hearing his mother's cries of pain. He noted that while the responding ambulance crew were professional and handled his mother well, the extensive delay eroded his confidence in the health service.

According to recent figures, 10,977 patients in August waited 12 hours or more for an ambulance, a slight decrease from the previous month. Anthony's account, shared on social media, resonated with many others who have experienced similar lengthy waits for medical care for elderly relatives. He has lodged a formal complaint with the Welsh Ambulance Service and the Welsh government.

Lee Brooks, chief operating officer for the Welsh Ambulance Service, apologized for Margaret Owen's experience, stating that an eight-hour wait is below their service standards. A preliminary review of the incident has been initiated to understand the circumstances and identify potential improvements in response protocols. The Welsh government acknowledged the distress caused by long waits for care and affirmed that improving access to emergency services is a priority, with a new emergency and acute care policy framework expected this autumn.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has undergone changes in its call categorization system. In July 2025, it reclassified calls into purple for cardiac or respiratory arrest and red for major trauma and other emergencies. In December, three additional categories were introduced: orange for serious conditions, yellow for assessment, and green for less urgent cases. Data for the past two months shows median response times for red calls were nine minutes and 32 seconds, missing the target of six to eight minutes, while purple calls averaged seven minutes and 31 seconds, meeting their target. Median response times for orange calls increased to nearly 1 hour 30 minutes, up from approximately one hour, with the longest response time in January reaching one hour and 53 minutes. Public data is not available for yellow and green calls, nor for the response time target for orange calls. In September, the service handled 11,868 orange calls, 5,492 yellow calls, and 1,414 green calls.