A pensioner with a serious heart condition feared for his life as he sat alone in a hospital waiting room for more than eight hours after collapsing at home.
Retired factory worker John Derry, 84, blacked-out at his home on St Ronan's Road, Monkseaton, in the early hours of Thursday morning, and was found on the floor by wife Marion at roughly 1am. Marion's crippling arthritis meant she was initially unable to move her husband, but after many hours managed to get John into a chair.
The pair were anxious to contact the emergency services due to widely-reported NHS pressures. The couple had waited all day but given John's potentially life-threatening heart condition, chronic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Marion finally called for an ambulance at around 6.30pm, but says she was told by dispatchers to expect a call back instead.
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It wasn’t until 10.30pm that an ambulance finally arrived and John was taken to Cramlington Hospital, where he waited more than seven hours to be seen while in constant fear his condition could worsen.
John’s son, Craig Derry, lives in Suffolk and told The Chronicle his father was still awaiting treatment at 7am on Friday morning.
“I am absolutely fuming. It’s not the first time this has happened at Cramlington. For them to take as long as it has is not acceptable,” he said.
“The NHS is a service but people are suffering, people are dying. I am absolutely furious.”
Marion was told she could not accompany her husband in the ambulance meaning she could only wait at home alone without John, whom she relies upon to help complete basic tasks.
“My mother is beside herself,” said Craig. “It would have been quicker for me to drive from Suffolk to take him to hospital.”
And the family’s fears were later found not to be without merit, as John was kept in hospital overnight for further assessment. The next day it was found that John had an abscess on his hand which had resulted in an infection in his arm and he was put on an intravenous drip.
A draining procedure was then carried out and sent for analysis with John heading into theatre at some point on New Year's Day so the abscess can be drained and his arm flushed.
Life-long Newcastle United fans John and Marion celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve, with the unfortunate events just a few days later shattering what should have been a happy time for the pair.
Stephen Segasby, chief operating officer at the North East Ambulance Service, said: “We are sorry for the service this patient experienced. We are currently experiencing significant demand on our service compounded by substantial delays in handing over patients at our region’s hospitals which limits our ability to respond to patients waiting in the community.
"Unfortunately this means some patients are waiting longer for an ambulance than we would like as we prioritise our resources for patients whose lives are most immediately at risk.
“Patient safety remains our top priority and we encourage anyone who is unhappy with the service they have received to contact our Patient Experience Team so we can review their concerns and feedback to them directly.”
A Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: "Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on this individual case.
"In common with the health and care system across the country, we are experiencing significant pressures and we are sorry that patients may have to wait longer than usual. We are working hard to ensure that patients who need emergency care are seen as quickly as possible and are prioritising patient care as best we can based on their need.
"We ask that people please only access A&E if they have a serious or life-threatening condition. It is likely that patients with non-emergency conditions who attend A&E will have a long wait. NHS 111 online can direct you to the correct service for your need."
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