NHS waits: Coroner asks for delays update from ambulance boss

Welsh Ambulance Service boss Jason Killens will be asked to give evidence on ambulance waits

The chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service will be asked to give evidence at an inquest into the death of an 84-year-old woman.

Gwyneth Jones waited almost 24 hours for an ambulance after a fall.

She died in November 2021, a month after falling at Llys Gwenffrwd care home in Holywell, Flintshire.

The first 999 call was made at 08:54 GMT on 25 October, but she waited 22 hours and 33 minutes for paramedics to arrive.

A pre-inquest hearing in Ruthin was told that the wait was due to significant handover delays at Glan Clwyd Hospital.

John Gittins, the senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he had received a lengthy statement from Jason Killens in May 2022 which addressed the challenges facing the service.

He asked for an updated statement to see what, if anything, had changed since.

• Record lows in response times as 999 calls rise

• Hospital staff left in tears over A&E pressures

He said: "The problems are multifactorial. The issue for WAST [Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust] is getting people out of ambulances into hospitals, for the health boards it is flow of patients through hospital."

Mr Gittins told Mrs Jones' family that he wanted to address the wider issues without losing sight of Mrs Jones.

The inquest is not likely to be listed until autumn.