Union alert over 999 traffic jams at hospital

Union leaders claim lives are being put at risk after two patients died within days of being left waiting in ambulances outside the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Unison says paramedics are increasingly being delayed from taking patients into overstretched accident-and-emergency departments.

And Unison regional manager Stephanie Thomas warned the situation was getting worse.

She said there had been an increase in the waiting times at hospitals in the past couple of months and the union too had asked for a review.

She said: “We can’t have a situation where ambulances are stuck in traffic jams outside a hospital waiting to offload a patient who needs urgent care.

“If you are waiting outside the hospital for an additional 20 minutes you are not going to get the care quickly enough.”

On Monday last week at the Royal Oldham Hospital, two women in their mid to late-80s waited for seven and 20 minutes respectively, despite being assessed by ambulance crews as very sick after suspected heart attacks.

All five resuscitation beds were full, and the two patients were treated by a casualty doctor and senior nurse in the ambulances.

Tests carried out later found they had not had heart attacks, but both died on wards — one the following day and the other three days later.

The incident sparked an investigation after North-West Ambulance Service called for a review, and Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the hospital, apologised for the wait.