Pensioner left waiting 15 hours at Royal Alexandra Hospital to see medic

She was put in a medical assessment unit and reportedly left to sit through the night unchecked without food before finally being seen by a doctor at 9.30am on Friday and given a bed, our sister paper the Glasgow Times reports.

The Erskine pensioner’s family blasted Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board bosses, saying they need to take urgent action to deal with “shambolic” communications and delays within the hospital.

Daughter Linda Dormer, 53, said: “What has happened to my mum is nothing short of appalling.

“We were obviously very worried because we knew that the reason her GP had referred her to the hospital was because her blood pressure was at an extremely dangerous level, and given her age, she is at a greater risk of becoming seriously unwell.

“To leave an 84-year-old woman sitting in a room waiting to be examined is unacceptable. My mum is fortunate that she has family who were able to stay in touch with her and support her, but this could as easily have been a vulnerable elderly person with nobody left to sit on their own worrying with no food or anything to drink.”

The Glasgow Times told earlier this week how health board bosses have admitted the west of Scotland’s accident and emergency departments are at crisis point.

Dr Scott Davidson, deputy medical director for acute services, said that hospital staff are under immense pressure to cope with the number of people presenting for treatment, leaving departments over capacity and creating ‘bottlenecks’ at front doors.

Mrs Dormer says under-pressure staff are being left struggling to cope with the volume of people coming through the doors.

She added: “My mum always worked and paid her dues, so when she needs urgent help from a service, she has contributed to all her life, you would expect better than this.

“The wait was bad enough, but the complete lack of communication was another major issue. Staff are running around trying to do their best, but there is clearly a lack of numbers to allow them to do their job efficiently and effectively.

“Nurses told us that there was no bed for my mum, but how can a pensioner presenting with a life-threatening condition not be a priority? If that’s where we are at, something has gone badly wrong with our health service.

“It is time Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board got their act together. What we experienced was shambolic and I don’t imagine the situation is any better within the hospitals in Glasgow. Something urgently needs done. As a family we feel badly let down by the health service.”

Health campaigner and west of Scotland MSP Neil Bibby called for a full probe into Mrs Arnott’s case.

He said: “This is a deeply concerning story. My heart goes out to the patient concerned, and her family. Clearly a full investigation must be carried out, and we await its outcome.

“The NHS and its dedicated staff are working under enormous and unsustainable pressure.

“These are major systemic failings which cannot be blamed on over-stretched NHS staff. The health board must take urgent action to ensure staff are being properly supported and that patients are getting the care they need.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We are sorry about this patient’s experience and for any additional anxiety it might have caused her or her family.

“We can confirm we have spoken to the family to apologise and to explain the reasons for the delay in Ms Arnott’s ongoing care.

“Our unscheduled care services are facing intense pressures due to the pandemic which has had a huge impact on the number of sick patients presenting as well as on staffing numbers.

“Our frontline staff are working around the clock to make sure that we are still seeing and treating patients, although unfortunately many patients are facing longer than expected waits.”