A woman died after waiting three and a half hour in an ambulance in Birmingham

During the call-out on May 24, paramedics suspected the patient of having sepsis due to prolonged breathing issues.

The woman was pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The hospital trust stated that it was doing all it could to shorten ambulance transfer times.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was experiencing “record delays” due to the weather.

In its board papers, the ambulance service also highlighted a second death in October of a patient in her 90s, who died at an undisclosed hospital.

The patient had a nose bleed and after 10 minutes, paramedics asked for her to see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist. After 27 minutes, the patient went into respiratory arrest.

The second case is currently being investigated by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service Spokesman said: “The NHS remains under severe pressure and unfortunately this does mean some of our crews are delayed handing over their patient to the staff in A&E.

“All patients continue to receive clinical care until they are handed over to hospital staff.”

Adding further the West Midlands Ambulance Service said delays were partly caused by an inability to house patients in corridors due to Covid-19.

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Written by Dhriti Chaturvedi