A MUM-of-four who was promised a "blue light response" died of a heart attack after waiting 11 HOURS for an ambulance.
Hannah Houghton, 36, suffered from cystic fibrosis and was struggling to breathe shortly before her fiancé James Jackman called for an ambulance.
James dialled 999 at 7.20pm on December 18 but first responders only made it to the couple's home in Kings Norton, Birmingham, at 6.15am the next morning.
Hannah was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – which is just three miles from her home – where she was treated for dangerously low blood pressure.
She was transferred to intensive care but suffered a fatal cardiac arrest before tragically passing away in the early hours of December 22.
Cardiac arrest is labelled as a "category one call" and should be answered within seven minutes, while 90% must be responded to within 15 minutes.
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But in November, NHS figures revealed that the average response time for category one calls was 9.26 minutes.
It comes as the NHS battles a winter crisis, with A&E and ambulance waits at record highs and clinics crippled by staff shortages.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned last week that up to 500 people are dying every week because of emergency delays.
Hannah's grief-stricken fiancé James, 38, believes his partner may have been saved if she had been taken to hospital earlier.
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The builder said: "Who knows really but I think that if treatment had started 11 hours previously then we could be facing a different situation.
"Instead we have four children without a mother. It could have made a difference.
"I was told I would get a blue light response but there could be a delay.
"I sat up with her until 6.15 in the morning when they turned up. I couldn't believe the delay."
He continued: "I was trying to make her as comfortable as possible throughout the night and kept keeping an eye on her.
"She fought, she was a fighter. I sat with her for ten minutes and told her I loved her and then she went."
What is cystic fibrosis?
INCURABLE illness cystic fibrosis impacts thousands of lives in the UK, making it hard for sufferers to breathe or go about their daily lives.
Cystic fibrosis is a condition that affects the lungs and digestive system.
The lungs particularly become clogged with thick, sticky mucus.
It can lead to breathing problems and trouble digesting food.
In most cases, the condition is diagnosed in childhood.
Over the years, a person’s lungs are damaged to the extent that they can stop working properly.
Currently, it is estimated that about 10,500 people in the UK have the condition with about 100,000 people around the world affected.
What are the symptoms?
While individuals can have different symptoms, some of the main indicators as listed by the NHS can be:
- recurring chest infections
- difficulty putting on weight
- frequent, wet-sounding coughs
- diarrhoea
- occasional wheezing and shortness of breath
James is now demanding action from government and health bosses.
He said: "When the paramedics did turn up, you could tell they were all exhausted.
"They did a great job and got Hannah to hospital on a blue light as quickly as possible.
"I am not putting fault on them. This problem lies further up in the government.
"I know you can't predict what would have happened if she was seen to earlier, but it could have made all the difference."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to cut NHS waits and stop the boats crossing the Channel among a string of other promises.
The PM said he hopes to relieve pressures on the NHS by increasing the number of hospital beds and introducing funding to put patients into community social care, thus freeing up beds.
The government has blamed high numbers of flu cases, Covid-19 and Strep A fears for the particular pressures the NHS faced over Christmas.
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While NHS chiefs say the current crisis in the health service is unprecedented.
Tracy Bullock, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of North Midlands, said: "I've been in the NHS for 38 years and of those I've worked 32 Christmases and this has been the most difficult Christmas that I've ever witnessed."
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