Elderly Woman Left 10 Hours on Floor With Broken Bones

A 93-year-old woman, Margaret Owen, experienced a distressing ordeal after falling and sustaining broken bones, lying on her floor for over 10 hours while awaiting an ambulance. The incident occurred in her home on October 4, and her son initiated the call for help after being alerted by her lifeline alarm. An ambulance was eventually called, but a significant delay followed before paramedics arrived and transported her to Royal Glamorgan Hospital for surgery.

Her son, Graham Anthony, described feeling helpless as his mother repeatedly asked for aid and screamed in pain. He emphasized that such extended waits are unacceptable for anyone, particularly a vulnerable elderly individual. The Welsh Ambulance Service has apologized, stating that nearly eight hours is not their standard. A preliminary review identified management issues with the call, and further investigation is underway.

This event underscores broader concerns about ambulance response times in Wales. Latest figures show thousands of patients waited over 12 hours for an ambulance in August. The Welsh government acknowledges the distress caused by care delays and plans to introduce a new emergency and acute care policy framework to improve community response and hospital flow. The reclassification of ambulance calls in July 2025 aims to prioritize critical cases, though response times for serious categories like orange calls have significantly increased.