The Welsh Ambulance Service has apologised after a rugby player had to wait nearly two hours for an ambulance to arrive after breaking his neck.
Ben Lloyd, from Pontllanfraith, was playing on the wing for Ysynddu RFC against Abergavenny RFC on Saturday January 7 when he was injured making a tackle as the match drew to a close.
Emergency services were called at 4.05pm, but it took nearly an hour for a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle to arrive at the rugby club at 5pm, and a further 50 minutes before an ambulance turned up at 5.52pm.
Club staff are said to have kept 32-year-old Ben warm by covering him with jackets and jerseys, as his injury – a fractured vertebrae – prevented them from moving him.
Darryl Collins, Head of Operations for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board area, said: “We are very sorry to hear about Ben’s wait and appreciate what a distressing situation this must have been for him.
“We had a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle at the scene to provide clinical care within 55 minutes, however unfortunately on Saturday there was an extremely high demand on the service.
“As a result there was a longer wait for an ambulance to convey him to hospital, as all of our available crews were committed to other patients either within the community or at Emergency Departments.
“If Ben or his family have any concerns then we would encourage them to get in touch with us directly so that we can talk through them in further detail. In the meantime we wish him all the very best for his recovery.”
This is what happens when too many people call for an ambulance when it is simply not necessary, when there is a real emergency like this young man breaking his neck there are no ambulances available to attend to him. Our ever growing and increasingly selfish population is putting massive strain on an NHS that is struggling to cope with the demands placed upon it.