Man dies after no ambulances could attend in winter pressures

A driving instructor died of a cardiac arrest after his wife had to take him to hospital in rush hour traffic because no ambulances were available.

An inquest heard how three emergency calls were made when David Mann fell ill during a lesson, but ambulances were stuck outside hospitals waiting to hand over patients.

The Worcestershire coroner has written to the Health Secretary and NHS England to try to prevent future deaths. David Reid said lives were being put at risk due to ambulances being held up outside hospitals when no beds were available.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had the worst hospital handover delays in the country and was working with hospitals to try to reduce this.

David Mann’s wife, Elaine, said: “It’s just ridiculous. But if there aren’t any ambulances available, there aren’t any ambulances available.

“I don’t blame the paramedics, it’s not them. What is Government doing about it? What is NHS England doing about it? It’s just awful that people are being let down and losing their lives.”

An inquest heard David was taken ill during a 17-year-old girl’s driving lesson in Bromsgrove on 13 January. She called 999, but no ambulances could come.

She called her mother, an off-duty GP, who attended the scene, and two further emergency calls were made, to no avail.

They called David’s wife and she drove him to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

The off-duty doctor travelled with them, having made a fourth call to say they were en route.

Elaine said: “At that time of night the traffic was just awful, with all the roadworks. I struggled to get through the traffic.

“And David managed to ask ‘Where?’ twice and we gave him a running commentary of where we were and I remember touching his leg and saying, ‘Hang in there, David, hang in there’.”