Investigation launched after elderly patient with chest infection ‘dies in the back of an ambulance’ outside hospital where there were ‘no beds available’
- Patient had been taken to Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester
- Given antibiotic treatment for chest infection by staff who rushed out of hospital
- Investigation has been launched after patient went into cardiac arrest and died
- NHS crisis continues as staff claim demand has outstripped capacity for months
An investigation has been launched after an elderly patient with a chest infection died in the back of an ambulance outside of a hospital as a result of there being no beds available inside.
The patient had arrived at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester, and despite hospital staff rushing from inside to administer antibiotics, they went into cardiac arrest, NHS sources revealed.
A ‘do not attempt resuscitation’ (DNAR) order prevented paramedics from attempting to restart the patient’s heart.
An investigation into the death which occurred on Tuesday has been launched by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).
A senior NHS source said: ‘A patient was taken to hospital with a chest infection and held outside in the back of the ambulance.
‘Treatment began on the ambulance, the hospital started antibiotic treatment.
‘The patient has gone into cardiac arrest. The patient was elderly and there was a DNAR in place, so no resuscitation was attempted.’
An elderly patient has died in the back of an ambulance outside Fairfield General Hospital (File image) in Bury, Greater Manchester, as a result of there being no beds available inside
But outraged staff believe that the death could have been prevented if the patient had been admitted into hospital.
One paramedic shared the belief that dying in the back of an ambulance compromised the patient’s dignity.
They said: ‘The patient has died on the back of an ambulance. It’s not right, it’s just insane.
‘Every hospital is holding ambulances outside. I’ve had occasions where I’ve taken over from the night shift and the patient hasn’t even made it through the door.
The patient was given antibiotic treatment by hospital staff who rushed from inside before going into cardiac arrest, NHS sources revealed. (File image: Ambulances wait outside Fairfield General Hospital)
‘They’ve been in the ambulance for eight hours, treated there, and sent back home. Every hospital is really struggling to get patients through the door. Some hospitals will treat us as another ward.’
The incident will ‘lead to big discussions about treatment in the back of ambulances’, another paramedic said.
They added: ‘What happened on Tuesday might put this at the forefront of what’s going on. It’s not safe.
‘It’s doctor-led care when you’re outside the hospital but the doctors aren’t staying with the patients because they have others to look after inside the building.
‘Paramedics have a limited scope of practice – there are things we’re not trained to do that are being seen in the care given on ambulances.
One paramedic shared the belief that dying in the back of an ambulance compromised the patient’s dignity. (File image: Fairfield General Hospital)
‘That patient should not have died in the back of an ambulance. What about their dignity? It’s not the fault of individual staff members, they’re working as hard as they can. There’s just not the capacity in the system to deal with the demand.’
Ambulances have been pictured outside hospitals throughout summer but there are fears that this could get even worse as the nation grips itself for a winter plagued already by the cost-of-living crisis.
Multiple NHS workers in the North West have suggested that demand is only set to increase but there is simply not the capacity inside hospitals.
A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service said: ‘We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the patient’s family and friends at this time. This incident was reported by our staff and will be investigated.’
NHS waiting list breaches 7million for first time ever
More than 7million people in England are now waiting for routine NHS ops such as hip and knee replacements, grim data revealed today.
Leading experts fear the ‘grim milestone’ — the equivalent of one in eight people — will only get topped as the pressures of winter, Covid and flu kick in.
The backlog is up from 6.8m last month and marks the highest total since NHS records began in 2007.
Almost 390,000 patients have been forced to endure year-long waits for their treatment, often while in serious pain.
Separate analysis by the BBC released suggests the NHS is carrying out fewer operations and treatments than before the pandemic, despite pledges to shrink the ever-growing list.
In the past year, an average of nearly 257,500 inpatient treatments, including hip and knee replacements, have been performed each month – roughly 12 per cent lower than the year before the pandemic.
Damning monthly performance stats from the NHS also revealed that more than 30,000 patients faced 12-hour waits in A&E — a record high.
Meanwhile, doctors on the frontline have claimed that patients have faced eight-hour waits for ambulances in parts of the country.
Meanwhile Northern Care Alliance, which operates Fairfield General Hospital, declined to comment at this time.
The patient’s death follow paramedics across the country fearing that ambulances were and still are ‘being treated as extra wards’ with the scarcity of beds at crisis point.
The NHS remains under immense pressure as demand has outstripped capacity for months, claim its workers.
Shortages in social care, including too few community workers, as well as a lack of care home spaces, are among the chief reasons for the lack of hospital beds, causing ambulances to have to wait outside hospitals with their patients until one comes free.
Patients who actually get a bed in hospital cannot be discharged, as there are not enough resources to look after them at home or in residential care.
NHS staff also claim that the sheer number of people coming to A&E through the doors themselves or via ambulance has shot up in recent months.
The country has an ageing population, meaning people are more likely to fall ill, and patients have had their treatments delayed through the pandemic so are more sick and need more serious care.
Hospitals are also suffering their own staff shortages, dating back years. Staffing levels can often become thin in the face of such rising demand, long-time doctors have said.
Horrifying ambulance delays have seen patients wait more than 40 hours to be taken to hospital.
The scandal, which is affecting every region of the NHS, is being fuelled by the bed-blocking crisis, as 999 crews wait outside A&E for a free bed.
It comes after grim data revealed this week that the NHS waiting list breached 7million for the first time.
Health Secretary Therese Coffey has vowed to tackle the current crisis in the ambulance sector.
Meanwhile ex-Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who was ousted in Liz Truss’s cabinet shake-up, also had the ambulance crisis at the top of his agenda.
And this week the Mirror reported that the NHS will create 24/7 ‘war rooms’ across the UK to divert scarce resources to places they are needed this winter.
Care ‘traffic control centres’ will be established where teams of clinicians will monitor local NHS data to divert staff to hospitals at risk of being overwhelmed.
Ambulances will also be diverted to hospitals that have free beds.
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