A woman has described how her sister died while waiting for a bed in A&E. Catherine Cudden, 62, from Barry, was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff as she was struggling with fluid in her lungs and swelling in her body and limbs.
Only one day later Catherine's sister Pat Cann received the devastating news that Catherine had died. Catherine had ongoing issues with her health and been visited by doctors in her care home and prescribed medication for her health issues.
On November 8 an ambulance was called to take her from her care home to A&E. Pat, who accompanied her sibling, said: "We were transferred into a cubicle which was occupied by another three patients so five of us altogether.
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"My sister kept asking for a bed and she kept getting told she was on the priority list. I kept asking if she could get a bed... could they even give her a stool to get her feet up? I could see the fluid in her feet travelling up her legs and her hands and arms kept swelling up."
Catherine was visited by doctors during the night and in the morning and Pat said she believed her sister's condition was getting worse. At one point, Pat said, her sister hadn't passed urine for 13 hours and filled her catheter immediately when she was given one but Pat claims it wasn't changed.
Pat said: "She needed her feet up, she needed a bed." Pat believes her sister needed oxygen, adding: "I was going on about it. My sister was getting more confused. Her breathing got more shallow. She was still sitting on this wheelchair, slumped over."
Catherine was then given oxygen and stayed in the cubicle. In the morning Pat had to go home to take her medication as she didn't have it with her but didn't realise how badly her sister's condition would deteriorate while she was gone. She said: "I had to go home and get my tablets at around 9.30 in the morning. I thought I’d end up in bed next to her otherwise and my daughter needed her medication too. I came home, got my medication, and my husband made me a cup of tea. Then a phone call came in to get up there ASAP.
"I went over right away to A&E. I don’t even remember driving up there. I don’t even know where I parked or if I parked legally. We finally got in and I asked where my sister was… I was losing it and shouting in A&E: ‘Does anyone know where my sister is? I have to speak to her as soon as possible.'"
Pat recalls being taken into a room and told that it hadn't been possible to resuscitate her sister. She said: "After that I don’t remember anything. I went in to see her and she was still warm when I went in there." Pat added: "This should never have happened. My sister should never have died. I have been in here all night with her. Begging for a bed, begging for oxygen, begging to just get a bloody stool for her."
A Cardiff and Vale University Health Board spokesman said: "We are very sorry to hear about the loss of Catherine and our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this incredibly sad time. Our focus remains on the delivery of patient care and our staff are working incredibly hard, often in difficult circumstances, to provide the best and most appropriate care in a timely manner but we acknowledge that this is not always at the standard we would want.
“While we are unable to comment on individual patient cases our healthcare professionals assess and monitor each patient and provide the appropriate treatment based upon their clinical need. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with Catherine’s family directly and would encourage them to contact the concerns team.”
Pat described her sister as "lovely" and "very outgoing." She said: "It didn’t matter who she bumped into, strangers or not, she made conversation with them. The care home absolutely loved her. She made friends in there as well – they all thought she was fantastic and outgoing.
"That’s just the way Catherine was – she’d make friends with everyone. She was a great, loving auntie." Pat added: "I just want to know: why did she die? My sister should still be sitting here."
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