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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Vivienne Aitken

Dumbarton pensioner waiting for ambulance forced to lie on floor in agony before dying in hospital

A pensioner who died three days after being taken to hospital lay in agony on her floor for hours, waiting for ambulance crews to arrive.

Ambulances sent to help Sheila Bruce, 83, were diverted to other calls, forcing her to remain lying in her own body fluids.

Her heartbroken husband, John, has spoken of his anger over the "undignified" way she was treated.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “Sheila was so distressed at not being able to get up.

“Sometimes when elderly people have a fall they soil themselves and that happened to Sheila.

“She wanted to get up and sort herself out but she couldn’t and she was very upset about it. It was so undignified for her.

"If someone had even come and assessed her and put her in a chair I could have driven her to hospital myself rather than her having to lie there for that period of time.”

Read more: Tributes to Glasgow man who died four days after Balmore Road crash

Sheila died a few days after being admitted to hospital. (Daily Record)

John, also 83, said on March 13 he had been out for about an hour and when he returned to their Dumbarton home he found his wife lying on the floor.

He said: “She was in constant pain and I couldn’t move her.

“I had an alarm system where you can call for assistance so I did that but when the carers came the said they couldn’t touch her because she had a suspected shoulder fracture.

“They called for an ambulance about 3pm.

“I called the ambulance service back and they told me they were really busy and it would be about an hour and 20 minutes for an ambulance.

“But there were several more calls over the next few hours before they arrived.

“And although we have a hospital nearby, they took her to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

“I followed in the car but I never got in to see her that night.”

A few days later, Sheila had a fatal heart attack in the hospital.

John, who had been married to Sheila for 57 years, said: “I don’t blame anyone for her death but the length of time she had to lie on that floor undoubtedly caused her added stress.

“I am not happy. I don’t think anybody should be lying that length of time.”

A spokesperson for the SAS said: "We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mrs Bruce and our deepest sympathies are with them at this time.

"In light of this complaint, we are carrying out a full review into the circumstances surrounding this incident and will contact the family directly to discuss our findings."

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