Mum told by 999 to give seriously ill son painkillers over ambulance delay

The mom of a Belfast man, who collapsed outdoors a hospital, mentioned she was shocked when a 999 name handler instructed her he ought to take painkillers as they must wait hours for an ambulance.

Brian Rooney, 35, suffered a cardiac arrest outdoors the Royal Victoria Hospital’s emergency division after his bowel had perforated at house.

He’s now in an induced coma following emergency surgical procedure, which resulted within the elimination of his gut.

The Northern Eire Ambulance Service (NIAS) apologised to Mr Rooney and his household “for not assembly their expectations when it comes to the care offered to him”.

It mentioned it’s “unable to remark publicly on the element of particular person instances” however would “welcome the chance to debate, instantly with the household, the problems raised”.

Mr Rooney is in a essential however secure situation.

His mom Isobel Benson referred to as 999 after her son felt an “explosion” in his chest and was “screaming in agony”.

A hospital guide later instructed her the perforated bowel meant the organ had “successfully exploded and the entire contents of his bowel would have been emptied all through his physique”.

Mr Rooney additionally has epilepsy, colitis and gout, and had not too long ago been out and in of hospital.

On Sunday morning Ms Benson heard “an almighty scream” coming from her son’s attic room.

After seeing “the panic setting over his face”, she phoned for an ambulance.

Ms Benson mentioned she defined her son’s medical historical past and instructed the decision handler he was hyperventilating, in agony and couldn’t transfer.

After confirming he was respiratory, lucid and will speak, she was instructed it could be a few hours earlier than an ambulance might get to him as a consequence of ongoing pressures on the well being service.

When Ms Benson responded that she wanted an ambulance now, the decision handler requested if she might take her son to hospital herself.

She mentioned she couldn’t as a result of she had a two-door automotive, which might be extraordinarily tough for Mr Rooney to journey in given his stage of ache, and her son’s father couldn’t drive at evening due to his personal well being points.

Ms Benson was instructed she must wait and to only give him painkillers.

“I used to be actually traumatised after that decision. It simply beggared perception.

“My understanding of what a precedence name is – if in case you have extreme chest pains, you are prioritized, that is an emergency.

“On this case, as a result of he was coming throughout lucid, that it wasn’t deemed an emergency, and that was the tip of that and it wasn’t up for dialogue,” she mentioned.

Ms Benson mentioned her son began foaming on the mouth and coughing up blood, so she determined to attempt to convey him to hospital herself.

“I needed to manhandle Brian downstairs. I felt terrible.

“He was in agony and screaming at each transfer and switch of the stair,” she mentioned.

She bought him down two flights of stairs and into her automotive.

On the doorways of the emergency division her son collapsed.

She mentioned safety employees after which medical employees got here out and “minimize his shirt up and began to provide him CPR as a result of his coronary heart had stopped”.

Ms Benson mentioned the guide within the ED instructed her if that they had not made it to the hospital after they did “we might be coping with a corpse now”.

She mentioned she understood the pressures on the well being service, however by no means thought, given her son’s medical historical past, the ambulance wait would have been so lengthy.

“They did say the ambulances that they did have, they could not depart the people that they have been with, and one would not be obtainable for a couple of hours,” added Ms Benson.

“That, to me, is speaking that we do not deem you an emergency.”

Ms Benson mentioned her son now faces an unsure restoration.

As his gut was eliminated throughout surgical procedure, he’ll now use a stoma to gather waste.

She mentioned his life has modified, with rehab and “potential issues like infections”.

“All these items that maybe, we do not know, might have been prevented if an ambulance had of come out in time after I rang.”

Mr Rooney’s case comes after experiences of lengthy waits in emergency departments over the winter interval.

An emergency guide on the Ulster Hospital mentioned the scenario there was “dire” and they’re presently operating considerably over capability.

Dr Andrew Dobbin, who’s scientific director of emergency medication on the South Jap Belief, instructed Good Morning Ulster that on Tuesday there have been 690 sufferers for the hospital’s 540 beds.

He mentioned 100 of them have been medically match to depart hospital.

Out of the 690, 80 have been on beds in corridors and one other 70 have been ready for beds within the emergency division which solely has 51 cubicles.

“There is a vital demand and capability mismatch,” he mentioned.

Dr Dobbin additionally mentioned that the low take up of the flu vaccine this yr was an element.

He mentioned there have been “crowded ready rooms with susceptible sick sufferers”.

He added that that danger then passes on to the scientific employees who’re working as properly.

“We had eight of 16 docs on the Monday night shift cellphone in sick with flu-like sicknesses,” he mentioned.

Nevertheless, he added that the issues discharging sufferers from hospital together with how group and social care was delivered was additionally an enormous difficulty.

On Tuesday, the Meeting’s well being committee met to debate the pressures in Northern Eire’s hospitals.