Investigation launched after patient dies while waiting to be admitted to Morriston hospital in Swansea

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Health officials have launched an investigation after a woman died in an ambulance queueing outside a hospital.

It was reported the woman had been waiting in the vehicle outside Morriston hospital, Swansea, for up to 40 minutes. The Welsh ambulance service and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board said they had launched a review of the incident.

In a joint statement they said: "The emergency department at Morriston hospital has been very busy with a high number of ambulances arriving in a short space of time. Escalation plans have been activated and staff across the hospital are working closely with colleagues from WAST (Welsh ambulance service trust) to keep delays to a minimum."

Officials said the patient arrived at Morriston from another hospital at about 3.05pm on Wednesday. A statement read: "The patient was assessed immediately upon arrival and remained in the care of a doctor and the ambulance crew while waiting to be admitted into hospital.

"Sadly, at approximately 3.40pm the patient passed away. We wish to express our sincere condolences to the patient's family."

In recent months there has been growing concern about Wales's NHS as well as ambulance service performance. On Wednesday the British Medical Association, said the health service in Wales was facing "imminent meltdown" and called for an independent inquiry.

The organisation, which represents around 7,000 doctors in Wales, published a report listing numerous problems it said the Welsh government must address. The BMA's Welsh council chairman, Dr Phil Banfield, said members' feedback indicated the service was struggling to cope.

He said: "The sooner this [inquiry] takes place, the better. There's a lot of sticking heads in the sand still going on. Our greatest fear is it will become impossible to have an NHS in Wales."

The issue of ambulance response times has been raised several times by opposition parties in the Welsh assembly. The latest official figures showed the Welsh ambulance service had failed to hit response time targets for the most urgent calls for a ninth consecutive month.

Statistics showed that 87.7% of people arriving at Welsh A&Es were seen within four hours of arrival. The Welsh government target is 95%. The worst-performing health board was Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, with nearly 17% of patients waiting more than four hours.