Apology Issued After Pensioner Endures Ten-Hour Ambulance Wait
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has apologised after a 74-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease waited ten hours for an ambulance following a fall at her home. Irene Lowry sustained a broken shoulder and was in considerable pain during the prolonged wait.
Family's Distress
Julie Mayo, Ms Lowry's daughter, recounted the harrowing experience, stating, "It's just awful, it was just horrendous to hear your mother lying screaming and yelling out for help." Ms Lowry fell at approximately 15:00 BST, with the initial ambulance call made around 15:25. Despite repeated calls and an upgrade to the emergency status, an ambulance did not arrive until after 01:00 the following day.
During the extended wait, Ms Lowry, unable to bear the pain on the floor, managed to move to a sofa, but her Parkinson's condition meant she could not remain still. Her daughter described hearing her bones crunching due to the fractured shoulder and involuntary movements.
Service Under Pressure
A spokesperson for NIAS acknowledged the delay, stating, "We would have liked to have provided a much quicker response but were prevented from doing so because of circumstances beyond our control." The service attributed the significant delays to "high levels of pressure" within the system, primarily due to prolonged hospital handovers and reduced ambulance availability.
NIAS reiterated its commitment to prioritising the most critically ill patients and acknowledged that such delays are "unacceptable". The service is actively working with partners to enhance patient flow and alleviate systemic pressures, including the issue of ambulances queuing at emergency departments. The public has also been urged to refrain from making duplicate 999 calls unless a patient's condition deteriorates, to avoid adding further strain to the system.
Ms Lowry is currently receiving care at Antrim Area Hospital and awaits transfer to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
