An Aberdeen OAP who broke his hip was left ‘screaming in agony on the floor’ for hours while waiting for an ambulance.
Ian Watson, 69, has dementia and Alzheimer’s and was very distressed when he fell at Kingswells Care Home on December 17.
Staff called an ambulance at around 8pm and informed Mr Watson’s daughter Elizabeth, who rushed to the Bon Accord Care facility from her home in Dyce.
Ms Watson thought the ambulance would already be there by the time she arrived, but instead her dad was lying on the floor of the home’s living room, screaming for help.
She was told that he could not be moved as it may interfere with the break, and due to the way he was lying, any oral pain relief could have put him at risk of choking.
Ms Watson said she feared her dad was going to die while they waited for paramedics, who she claims arrived over three hours after the initial call, at around 11pm.
In that time, the ambulance service had been called a further two times.
The Scottish Ambulance Service has since apologised for the wait, which they claim was due to ‘significant pressure’.
Daughter says dad with Alzheimer’s ‘should have been priority’
Ms Watson told The Press and Journal: “The paramedics decided to eventually show up after 11pm, which is quite shocking considering he is a vulnerable adult as well as having Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“I understand they are busy, but he should have been a priority.”
According to Ms Watson, the 999 operator was informed of a possible broken hip – to which they responded by saying he would have to wait.
She said: “I thought because my dad had fallen, it would be classed as an emergency and I thought they would have been out straight away.
“I believed they would be there when I got there.
“The heartbreaking bit was that when I got there, he was screaming for help.
“It was horrible to see him shouting, confused because of course he doesn’t know why there isn’t help.
“He was screaming ‘Help me, help me, I’m in pain’.”
Ms Watson was holding her dad’s hand and trying to comfort him as he continued to cry out in agony.
She tried things like showing him pictures of his three grandchildren, but it didn’t work.
Daughter thought dad would die from fall
She says because of her dad’s dementia, trying to calm him down was tough because he couldn’t remember what he had just said minutes before.
The situation was so severe that Ms Watson recalls seeing her dad’s hand turn blue and she believed he was going to die.
She added: “The panic set in when his hand was going blue, and he went quiet for a while as before he was shouting out in pain.
“I just started crying, thinking where is the help?”
When help did arrive, Mr Watson was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), where the ambulance had to wait outside for 40 minutes.
Mr Watson was admitted to the hospital just after midnight and was not seen until 4am, when it was confirmed his hip was indeed broken.
Mr Watson underwent surgery to have his hip pinned the day after his fall, and after weeks of recovery is back at his care home.
A Bon Accord Care spokesman said: “We are aware of the incident in question. Whilst awaiting the ambulance to arrive Bon Accord Care followed all protocols, keeping Mr Watson as comfortable as possible whilst staying with him at all times.
“We are happy to say that Mr Watson is now back at Kingswells Care Home after a short stay in hospital.”
Ambulance service ‘sorry for delay’
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, at the time of the call we were experiencing significant pressure on our services due to lengthy hospital turnaround times at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which averaged around four hours per vehicle.
“All our calls are prioritised so we get to those with life-threatening conditions first, and our clinical advisors kept in regular contact with the patient until a crew arrived.
“We are sorry for the delay in reaching him and hope he is recovering well.”
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