Grandmother, 74, lay screaming in pain during eight-hour wait for an ambulance

The family of the 74-year-old woman had to ring 999 four times for an ambulance. Picture: Denis Minihane.

An elderly grandmother had to lie screaming in pain while waiting eight hours for an ambulance to reach her home, which is less than a 15-minute drive from the hospital.

The family of the 74-year-old woman say they had to ring 999 four times and beg them for aid while their mother had to urinate on a towel because she couldn't move with the pain.

The family, from outside Kells, Co Meath, have asked not to be identified so as to protect their mother's dignity.

Her daughter said her mother has osteoporosis, a heart condition, and is awaiting complex surgery on a significant back problem.

"Her prognosis is precarious and she has been told not to bend or lift anything. Her doctor advised us to take her immediately to hospital if her condition changed.

"Last Tuesday we rang Doc on Call after she took a turn and ended up immobile at 7pm." 

The screams of pain were dreadful so we contacted them again at 8pm and they immediately called for an ambulance.

"We sat with my mother in intense pain and we couldn't move her to go to the toilet. She had to pee on a towel.

"She then stopped taking water so she wouldn't have to suffer that indignity again.

"At 10.30pm, she took another bad turn and we again rang 999. We were told that an ambulance had been on the way but was redirected to a cardiac emergency.

"We rang 999 yet again at 12.30am and at 2am she was in so much pain that we were begging the 999 service for help.

"The ambulance arrived at 4am — eight hours after it was first called — and brought her to Our Lady's Hospital in Navan."

"I'd just like to point out that the paramedics were wonderful and managed the pain for my mother immediately. 

"They were profusely apologetic but this is not their fault. They work around the clock as it is. The system is broken."

My elderly mother is a very proud lady who lay in her own urine for eight hours before help came. 

"Her pain was excruciating and she was very distressed. She denied herself water in case she needed to pee again.

"She could not move and screamed in pain when we tried to remove her bottom clothes. She was so embarrassed, debilitated, and vulnerable.

The woman said: "There is something very wrong in leaving an older woman, who worked her whole life for the dignity of others to be denied help when she needed it.

"Eight hours in pain. You wouldn't leave an animal in that much pain. If we can't look after our elderly, then we are a shame."

The HSE said: "Every day, the National Ambulance Service deploys approximately 160-180 emergency ambulances, an average of 22 rapid response vehicles and in excess of 50 officer response vehicles operating from over 100 locations around the country."