Coroner Raises Alarm Over 94-Year-Old’s Death Following 11-Hour Ambulance Wait

An assistant coroner has voiced apprehension regarding the passing of Vera Spencer, a 94-year-old woman who endured an 11-hour wait for an ambulance on her home’s floor after a fall. Ms. Spencer sustained a fall at her residence in Ripley, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 6, 2023, with emergency medical personnel not arriving until the subsequent day. She passed away in a hospital on December 11. An inquest conducted last month revealed that the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) experienced “severe pressure” on the day of her fall, and no other service was available to assist her. Assistant coroner Sophie Lomas has urged the NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to implement measures to avert comparable fatalities in the future, setting a response deadline of January 6. During the inquest, it was disclosed that Mrs. Spencer activated a personal alarm following her fall, alerting her next of kin, and an ambulance was summoned at 22:11 GMT. However, paramedics did not reach her until 09:01 on December 7, a delay attributed to both elevated call volumes and prolonged patient handover times at hospitals. Mrs. Spencer received antibiotics for a chest infection and underwent surgery for a fractured hip; nevertheless, her health declined, leading to her death. The inquest determined her death was accidental, resulting from a combination of her fall, pre-existing medical conditions, and pneumonia. Ms. Lomas stated that it was not possible to ascertain if Mrs. Spencer’s prolonged wait on the floor contributed to the onset of pneumonia or if her death might have been averted with earlier medical attention. Nevertheless, in her report for the prevention of future deaths, the coroner remarked: “At times when the ambulance service is under extreme pressure, individuals who have fallen at home can wait many hours on the floor before paramedics can attend. “This is usually because falls are given a lower categorisation by the ambulance service because it is not a life-threatening situation. “Resultant long lies can increase the risk of pneumonia, pressure damage and Rhabdomyolysis. “Other than the ambulance service, there is no local falls service or team operating out of hours to assess patients and assist them off the floor following a fall.” The coroner further expressed her concern that there “is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken” and conveyed her conviction that the ICB “has the power to take such action”. A representative for NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB commented: “We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Vera Spencer over their loss.” They added: “We will respond to the prevention of future deaths report from coroner Sophie Lomas in line with her request.”