An 85-year-old grandfather from Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, waited 13 hours for an ambulance after suffering a stroke, leaving his family concerned he may not fully recover. David Evans collapsed at his home on 25 October, with the first 999 call made at 18:45 BST. An ambulance did not arrive until 07:45 the next day.
His son, Chris Evans, 52, described it as the 'longest night of my life' and said he felt helpless. He believes his father crawled upstairs after the stroke to call for help, as he had carpet burns on his knees and elbow. Despite a clinician confirming a stroke, the family was told the wait would be five to eight hours, and later that others had more life-threatening conditions.
The Welsh Ambulance Service apologised for the 'unacceptable wait'. Darren Panniers, head of service in south-east Wales, cited prolonged hospital handover delays, high call volume, and staff absence. In October, the service lost over 18,000 hours waiting to hand patients over at hospitals across Wales.
Chris Evans praised the care at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil but noted six ambulances were stuck outside when he left. The Stroke Association expressed grave concern, urging people to call 999 immediately for stroke symptoms, as treatments must be given within four to four-and-a-half hours.
