Dying wife had to wait 2 hours for ambulance

A nurse died from a brain haemorrhage after waiting two hours for an ambulance to take her to the hospital where she worked.

Ambulance took 2 hours to arrive Ambulance took 2 hours to arrive

Martina Simmons, 36, collapsed in the arms of her husband and he immediately phoned NHS Direct.[>

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A “first responder” paramedic arrived at their home within three minutes.[>

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He then called for the ambulance because his car was not fitted with the equipment to take her to hospital safely.[>

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But despite the paramedic ringing every 10 minutes, the ambulance did not arrive for more than two hours – 15 times longer than the Government target time of eight minutes.[>

I couldn’t take her myself because I had my son in bed and needed to make arrangements with my ex-wife to pick him up. I didn’t realise at the time I was watching my life fall apart

Martina’s husband, Shaun

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By the time Martina eventually arrived at Weston General Hospital in Somerset at 1.25am she had fallen into a coma.[>

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Doctors said it was too late to transfer her to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol to undergo potentially life-saving treatment and she died at 3.30pm on June 7, the day before the couple were due to embark on a second honeymoon in Mallorca.[>

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Great Weston Ambulance Service yesterday apologised for the “unfortunate incident” and confirmed it had launched a full investigation.[>

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But Martina’s husband, Shaun, revealed that he had launched a campaign to try to make sure no one else has to suffer the torment he endured.[>

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He demanded that more ambulances should be put on call, a day after the Healthcare Commission condemned GWAS for taking 42 minutes to respond after 23-year-old Rebecca Wedd was fatally injured by a car.[>

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Shaun, 39, described how he watched his wife “writhing and thrashing” in agony on their living room floor as they waited for the ambulance.[>

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The Navy reservist said he was told there were only two ambulances on call the night his wife collapsed.[>

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“I think about it every day,” he said. “Martina could have had a chance if the ambulance had got to her sooner. She was in absolute agony and the first responder was ringing every 10 minutes asking where the ambulance was.[>

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“I couldn’t take her myself because I had my son in bed and needed to make arrangements with my ex-wife to pick him up. I didn’t realise at the time I was watching my life fall apart.”[>

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Martina, who came to England from Slovakia in 1998, came down with a severe headache as she was finishing a shift at Weston Hospital.[>

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When she hadn’t arrived home by 9.35pm, Shaun phoned her and Martina said she was running late because her headache was so bad she was having to wheel her bicycle. By the time she reached home her headache had worsened and Shaun phoned NHS Direct.[>

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The first responder put an oxygen mask on Martina after assessing her condition, called an ambulance – and the long wait began.[>

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Shaun said: “Martina was my everything, she gave me a burst of new life and plans for the future. Her death has left me utterly broken.[>

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“I was told on the night that there were only two ambulances covering the Weston area. That, on a Friday night in a busy resort, is nowhere near enough. I want to see more ambulances on call so this can never happen to anyone else. I won’t let this rest until something is done.”[>

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Dr Ossie Rawstorne, clinical director of GWAS, said: “A paramedic arrived on the scene within three minutes of the call.[>

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“However, the delay in back-up to transport the patient to hospital is completely unacceptable.[>

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“I apologise wholeheartedly. An investigation is under way so that we can learn from this unfortunate incident.”[>

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