Nicola Waters, a resident of Indian Queens, Cornwall, expressed her profound distress following the tragic death of her husband, Andrew ‘Andy’ Waters, 56, who succumbed to a heart attack after a delayed response from emergency services. The incident occurred on May 24, 2024, after Nicola called 999 at approximately 2.37am, reporting severe symptoms including chest pain, trembling, and vomiting. The subsequent inquest revealed that his death might have been preventable had it not been for significant delays in ambulance care attributed to overarching issues within the NHS.

During a coroner’s inquest held on March 13 at Cornwall’s Coroners Court, it was detailed that Andy, who had been in good health prior to the incident, initially dismissed his escalating chest pains as indigestion. His condition eventually deteriorated, prompting Nicola to urgently seek assistance. The call was categorised as a Category 2 emergency by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), indicating that it was severe but not classified as immediately life-threatening.

Despite Nicola’s aggressive follow-ups, including notifying the service that Andy’s pain was intensifying, he remained on the waitlist for an ambulance. The family was advised to fetch a defibrillator, but the process proved futile due to the lack of access to the device. Ultimately, at 4.40am, the ambulance service arranged for a taxi to transport Andy to Royal Cornwall Hospital, though the driver was not briefed on the urgency of the situation. Arriving at the hospital nearly three hours after the initial call, Andrew suffered a fatal heart attack, despite the medical team’s attempts at resuscitation.

In her emotional testimony, Nicola described her husband as a generally healthy individual who “deserved so much better from our health services.” She articulated her disbelief and anger over the situation, stating, “To have been sent a taxi is disgusting.” Coroner Guy Davies noted systemic failures both in health and social care systems, revealing that at the time Andy was trying to gain admission, seven ambulances were lined up outside the hospital waiting to offload patients. This backlog was compounded by 84 patients who were clinically fit for discharge but remained admitted due to persistent challenges with bed availability and community care.

Investigations led by Paul Graham, an officer with SWASFT, highlighted the overwhelming pressures facing the ambulance service, noting there were already 18 other patients classified as Category 2 awaiting assistance at the time of Andy’s emergency call. Mr Graham acknowledged a shortfall in the triage process, suggesting that a more thorough clinical assessment might have elevated Andy’s priority on the waiting list.

During the inquest, Nicola, visibly stricken by grief, lamented, “the loss of my husband has devastated my family in every way.” She shared that she struggles with panic attacks and despair following Andy’s death, highlighting the personal ramifications of the incident. Mr Graham extended his apologies to Nicola on behalf of SWASFT, affirming that there should have been a quicker response while emphasizing that broader systemic failures within the NHS ultimately contributed to the delays.

Coroner Davies confirmed that the investigation revealed a “systemic failure” in the healthcare system leading to significant delays in ambulance service response times. He indicated plans to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report, stressing the importance of addressing these systemic inadequacies to prevent further tragedies. The coroner concluded that the delay in transportation significantly diminished Andy’s chances of survival, underscoring the urgent need for reform within the health and social care systems to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Source: Noah Wire Services