Keith Banks says his mother’s screams always haunt him when she’s waiting for an ambulance.
“Please, can someone help me,” Mary Banks pleaded as her son frantically called 999 over and over again.
A 75-year-old grandmother suddenly developed severe abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea and fever. Despite living just five minutes from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, she suffered for more than eight hours without pain relief before paramedics arrived.
Mary died the day after she was diagnosed with an intestinal perforation, a life-threatening emergency that required immediate medical attention. Chances of recovery improve with early diagnosis and treatment.
Banks said: “The hole in the intestine is critical and requires urgent treatment. My mother might still be here if the ambulance had arrived earlier. I don’t blame the NHS, it’s the government’s fault. What happened to the NHS is a disgrace.”
There are more than 2,000 people a week in emergency rooms in Scotland waiting for more than 12 hours a week of emergency care, the latest Scottish Public Health figures show, prompting Scottish Labor to declare the NHS ‘alive’.
Pressure on the system will come from increased flu cases, inclement weather, and limited resources from lagging behind Covid.
The Scottish Ambulance Service recently issued an apology after a patient was flown to Glasgow Airport and an ambulance was not available for a 300-metre haul from Crosshouse Hospital Helipad in East Ayrshire. The man had to be driven 26 miles from the airport to the hospital.
A Christmas ambulance strike was averted in Scotland after union members agreed to a wage deal.
Meanwhile in England, the GMB union is expected to announce new strike dates for ambulance workers next Wednesday amid a long-running dispute over wages, jobs and working conditions. England ambulance delays outside the A&E hit a new high last month, with a quarter – more than 16,000 – delayed more than an hour outside the A&E.
“I heard how my mother was in pain”
Mary, who was mobile and active despite chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fell ill around 6:00 pm on July 9 last year. Before realizing the seriousness of her symptoms, Mr Banks, who lived with her, called NHS 111.
After waiting an hour, the nurse called an ambulance around 7:15 pm after it became clear that Mary’s pain and anxiety were getting worse.
Her son called four times between 7:30 pm and 3:30 am the next morning. A 41-year-old man from Dunderhall near Edinburgh said: “At first we were told that we would be waiting for an ambulance for four hours. When I called 999, the practitioners said that they could hear how much Mom was in pain and that someone would come soon. But we still had to wait four hours.”
Keith explained that he tried to take his mother to the hospital himself, but she was in pain.
“She curled up on the edge of the bed and could not move because of the pain she was experiencing. Whenever I tried to move her, she screamed. When the paramedics arrived, the first thing they did was give my mom pain medication before moving her. Arrived at 3:45, left at 4:35.
The cause of Mary’s bowel perforation has not been established, but causes may include trauma, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obstruction, or colon cancer.
The rupture allows intestinal contents to leak out through the opening in the colon, leading to infection and inflammation known as peritonitis. This painful infection can lead to a whole body infection called sepsis.
Keith, who is unsure what category of ER his mother was placed in, believes that earlier medical attention could have saved her.
“At about 7:45 the doctors said she had a hole in her intestines and there was nothing they could do. She was too weak to have the operation and they said they would make her comfortable until she died. She died at 2:30 pm the same day. The date 10/07/22 will stay with me forever.
“Mom was very active despite COPD. She was not one to stay at home. She will shop and take care of her older sister until her death at the end of 2021. She still had a lot of life in her. Could she have performed the operation if the ambulance had arrived on our first call?
Mary is survived by two sons and three grandchildren.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We would like to express our sincere condolences to Ms Bank’s family. A thorough investigation was carried out and our findings were communicated directly to the family. We deeply regret their loss.”
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Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.