A man died of cardiac arrest after his wife was forced to drive him to the hospital during rush hour traffic because no ambulances were available. David Mann fell ill during a driving lesson on January 13, prompting three emergency calls, but ambulances were unavailable due to delays in handing over patients at hospitals.
The Worcestershire coroner, David Reid, has written to the Health Secretary and NHS England to highlight the dangers posed by ambulances being held up outside hospitals, preventing them from responding to new emergencies. West Midlands Ambulance Service acknowledged it experiences the worst hospital handover delays in the country and is collaborating with hospitals to mitigate these issues.
Mann's wife, Elaine, described the situation as "ridiculous," emphasizing that the lack of available ambulances was not the fault of paramedics but a systemic issue. "What is Government doing about it? What is NHS England doing about it? It's just awful that people are being let down and losing their lives," she stated.
During the incident, the 17-year-old student driver who was with Mann made the initial 999 call. An off-duty GP, the student's mother, attended the scene, and two more emergency calls were made without success. Subsequently, Mann's wife was contacted and drove him to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, accompanied by the off-duty doctor who had made a fourth call to inform the hospital of their arrival.
Elaine Mann recounted the difficult journey through heavy traffic and roadworks, where she provided her husband with updates on their location. "I remember touching his leg and saying, 'Hang in there, David, hang in there'," she recalled.