Patient had fatal heart attack in queuing ambulance

A patient suffered a fatal heart attack in the back of an ambulance after it queued for more than two hours outside an accident and emergency department.

The incident on Monday at the James Paget Hospital in Norfolk happened days after local NHS services declared a maximum alert due to acute pressures.

Norfolk and Waveney went to Opel 4 the previous Wednesday over fears patient care could be compromised.

The hospital said the local healthcare system "remains incredibly busy".

Operations Pressure Escalation Level (Opel) 4 is declared when a "comprehensive care" is unable to be delivered and patient safety is at risk.

The BBC has learned the woman was in the back of an ambulance as it waited outside the hospital, in Gorleston, on Monday morning.

The patient was taken inside the hospital where she was later declared dead.

An anonymous ambulance worker told the BBC: "We're under a tremendous amount of pressure.

"A lot of people are abusing the system as they can't get their GP.

"This needs to be out in the open - there were 14 ambulances queuing outside the James Paget Hospital on Monday afternoon."

Local health leaders have also asked to public not to attend local accident and emergency departments unless absolutely necessary.

Last week healthcare services including local hospitals were placed on the maximum alert for a number of hours but that has since been downgraded.

Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group said pressure was "continuing to mount on local NHS services" and asked the public to dial NHS 111 before turning up at A&E.

A spokesman for the James Paget Hospital said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the patient who sadly died.

"It remains incredibly busy across the healthcare system - but our staff continue to do all they can in caring for our patients, despite the pressure they are working under."

A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said: "We would like to pass our sincere condolences to this patient's family for their loss and invite them to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they may have.

"The NHS is currently experiencing high demand for our services which is having an impact on handover times. We are working closely with the teams at hospitals across Norfolk to support faster handover of patients."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]