Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Senedd for Aberconwy, recently submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Welsh Ambulance Service seeking to establish how many patients had died in an ambulance while waiting outside A&E departments at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board hospitals over the past 24 months.
The response revealed an alarming total of 2,149 deaths, far higher than anticipated and has prompted serious questions about urgent care provision and patient safety.
Janet Finch-Saunders MS has consistently campaigned for action to reduce hospital waiting times and to end the practice of corridor care in A&E departments. These latest figures highlight the grave risks associated with prolonged delays and the impact they are having on patients across the region.
Commenting on the figures, Janet said:
“When I received the figures from the Freedom of Information request, I was shocked aby the scale of the numbers, this is devastating for the families of those who tragically lost their lives while waiting in the back of ambulances.
I have been campaigning throughout the year to put pressure on the Welsh Government to reduce A&E waiting times and to bring an end to the unsafe practise of corridor care in our hospitals.
These figures must serve as a wake up call to both the Welsh Government and the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. Urgent action is needed to cut waiting times and significantly reduce these numbers over the next two years.”
