Harlow: Husband's anguish over seven-hour ambulance wait - BBC News

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A widower says he will "never get over" the death of his wife after she waited for seven hours in a "freezing cold" ambulance outside a hospital.

Alison Drewett, 64, was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, on 7 November after experiencing a seizure.

Her husband Michael told the BBC the couple had waited two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance to reach their home.

A hospital spokeswoman said the case would be investigated.

Mrs Drewett, who had multiple sclerosis, died a few days later after her condition deteriorated further.

Mr Drewett said a paramedic attended their home in Takeley, near Stansted, when she became ill, but the ambulance arrived much later.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said it had been experiencing "extremely high demand".

East of England Ambulance Service vehicles

"It was horrendous," Mr Drewett said.

"She was lying on the floor and I was trying to reassure her that she's OK but when you're waiting that time - all that time - I'll never know if she'd have had a better chance had she been got to quicker."

There was already a queue of other vehicles outside the hospital's accident and emergency department when they arrived at about 16:40 GMT, Mr Drewett added.

"They just kept saying 'we'll get you in soon'," he said, "but they never did."

He told how the ambulance was "freezing cold" and that the crew had to keep the engine running to provide warmth.

It was not until his wife had another seizure close to midnight that she was admitted, he said.

"We've been together for nearly 45 years," Mr Drewett said. "It's a lifetime. I'm never going to get over it. It's just so wrong."

'Extremely high demand'

A recent report by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) showed that more than a quarter of patients in ambulances queuing at hospitals in the East of England had potentially experienced "severe harm" as a result.

Sharon McNally, director of nursing and midwifery at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, offered her condolences to Mr Drewett.

"We are extremely sorry to hear about the concerns that Mr Drewett has raised regarding the death of his wife and we are investigating the details," she said.

The EEAS spokesman added: "At the time we received the call we were experiencing an extremely high demand for our services and had to divert two rapid response vehicles and two ambulances to immediately life-threatening emergencies before we were able to attend the scene.

"The health and care system remains under significant pressure, both locally and nationally, and we are working with partner organisations across health and social care to reduce handover delays and the impact that they have on patients."