Mark Drakeford: Ambulance wait family angry at outburst

A lifelong Labour voter has said she is "angry and upset" at First Minister Mark Drakeford's outburst after her father's long wait for an ambulance was brought up in the Senedd.

Keith Morris, 79, from Merthyr, was left in pain on the floor for 15 hours.

Mr Drakeford reacted with fury when Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies raised the case in the Senedd.

In response he accused the Conservatives of making a mess of the UK's budget and reputation.

The Welsh government has said Mr Drakeford's outburst reflected the anger of "people in Wales who are now having to pay for the mistakes made by the UK government".

But Mr Morris' daughter, Andrea Morris Nicholas, told the BBC Politics Wales programme: "I feel so saddened that it took a Conservative to bring up my father's situation and I'm disappointed Mark Drakeford reacted the way he did."

She added: "I'm a member of the Labour Party and have voted Labour my whole life.

"My father was a coal miner and has also voted Labour his whole life. Our entire family have, in fact."

Mr Morris had only just been discharged from hospital after a series of falls when he fell again, and was left waiting on the floor until the next morning for an ambulance.

Mr Morris' family say they were advised by the 999 call handler not to move him until the ambulance arrived.

Ms Morris Nicholas added: "Lessons need to be learned from what happened to my father. It has to be taken seriously. Fundamental changes need to be made.

"The NHS workers and ambulance service are working so hard and under extreme circumstances but there's too much pressure on them.

"I understand funding comes from central government in Westminster but the buck stops with Mark Drakeford and he has to take responsibility."

Jason Killens, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, has apologised to patients who have faced long waits during one of the service's "most difficult months ever".

He said: "We're really sorry to all of those patients who've waited much longer for an ambulance than we would like, of which Mr Morris was one."

Earlier this week, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said running the NHS in Wales next year without extra funding from the UK government would be "hell on earth"..

The Welsh Ambulance Service has said hospital handover delays are the biggest reason they cannot get to some patients promptly.

Ambulance response times have been in the headlines this week with new statistics showing them at their worst level.

Last month 50% of responses to red calls - where life is at immediate risk - arrived within eight minutes. The target is 65%.

Darren Hughes, of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS leaders, said ambulance delays were a symptom of wider problems within the health system.

"We're seeing larger numbers of ambulances arrive at the front door, but we're unable to admit people because we can't discharge people into the community, particularly those in need of social care support," he said.

"So it's a whole system issue and the symptom is ambulances waiting at the front door, but the problem is being able to discharge patients."

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are deeply concerned about the position the UK government has put us in and the eye-watering scale of cuts facing public services in Wales.

"The first minister was reflecting the anger of people in Wales who are now having to pay for the mistakes made by the UK government."

For more on this story, watch BBC Politics Wales on BBC One Wales at 10:00 BST on Sunday, or afterwards on BBC iPlayer.