Woman (95), endured two-hour wait lying on road with broken hip

A 95-year-old woman lay on the side of a road for nearly two and a half hours with a broken hip, waiting for an ambulance on Friday.

The incident happened around 4pm on Friday afternoon when the woman and her daughter were getting out of a taxi at the Abbey Road Car park close to their home.

Her daughter explained that her mother was unable to get up after the fall.

“We called for an ambulance but had to wait more than two hours. My mother was lying on the ground all that time. She was in pain, but was also very distressed as it is a busy car park with a lot of people coming and going and she was getting cold. A neighbour brought out a duvet to try and keep her warm.

“The Gardai arrived and they rang the ambulance service several times. Two paramedics came and she was given IV paracetamol and a passing doctor also helped.

“They were all getting annoyed at how long it took for the ambulance to come. We were only a stone's throw from Navan hospital. Mum was very distressed. It was like something out of the dark ages.”

When the ambulance eventually came, she was taken to hospital in Drogheda, where her broken hip was operated on.

“She was six hours in surgery. She is recovering, but she is tired and in pain,” her daughter said.

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said the system is broken.

“The pain from the injury alone must have been horrendous. But to traumatise the woman further by making her wait that long for an ambulance is not only unacceptable, it is highly dangerous.

“Any system that allows this to happen is broken and I blame the government. Front line services need to be adequately funded in order for a service to work safely and competently. What happened in Navan on Friday exposed a service working to the pin of its collar because the resources aren’t there to allow for safe delivery.

“That’s no reflection on the ambulance workers who do the best they can in a system that clearly isn’t working. It is a failing on the government’s part for starving the ambulance service of the resources they need to keep their patients safe. Somebody needs to be held accountable for this mess and I would start with Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeil.

“My thoughts are with my constituent who is recovering from the trauma of Friday’s experience. She’s had her hip replaced which is a huge operation with a long rehabilitation period afterwards. I wish her well in her recovery and I hope that she is feeling better soon,” he said.

A spokesperson for the HSE said: “We regret that any service user should have a negative experience. However, the HSE cannot discuss details on individual cases.

“The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) works to deliver the highest standard of care for people using NAS services.

“All 999/112 calls received for emergency medical assistance are prioritised using an internationally recognised system that triages calls based on clinical priority, which ranges from life-threatening cardiac or respiratory arrest to minor illness or injury.

“The NAS operates a dynamic model of ambulance deployment, in line with international best practice. It allows the NAS to prioritise resource allocation to calls that need an immediate emergency response.

“Unfortunately, at times of high demand, this can mean that patients suffering from non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries can experience delays as we respond to incidents such as cardiac arrests and road traffic collisions.”

“The HSE’s ‘Your Service Your Say’ process is available to any service users or families who wish to give feedback or make complaints and further details can be found at: Make a complaint or give feedback - Your Service Your Say