Coroner Issues Damning Verdict After 14-Hour Ambulance Wait Leads to Death
A coroner has delivered a stark narrative verdict following the tragic death of a woman who waited fourteen hours for emergency medical assistance at her home in North Wales. The inquest heard that earlier intervention would probably have prevented the fatal outcome, highlighting systemic failures within ambulance response systems.
Fourteen Hour Ordeal Ends in Tragedy
Heather Louise Parkhill, aged 39, became unwell at her property in Garden City, Deeside, on the evening of April 7, 2025. An initial emergency call was logged at 8.41pm regarding a medical issue linked to her history of chronic heavy alcohol consumption. Crucially, the case was subsequently "erroneously downgraded" from its original priority classification, according to evidence presented at the hearing.
Throughout the following morning, multiple desperate calls for help were made by those at the scene. However, no ambulances were available to respond. It was not until a final, urgent call at 10.41am on April 8 that the situation was elevated to the most critical category. A first responder arrived just seven minutes later, but by then, Ms Parkhill was in an extremely critical state.
Resuscitation attempts continued for approximately one hour but proved unsuccessful. Ms Parkhill was pronounced dead at her home. The cause of death was formally recorded as Fatty Liver Disease, with neglect listed as a contributing factor due to the failure to provide prompt medical care.
Coroner's Verdict and Systemic Warning
Coroner John Gittens, who concluded the inquest on January 29, stated in his narrative verdict: "Her death was the result of a terminal event arising from a condition associated with the chronic excessive consumption of alcohol, but it is probable that the death would have been prevented by earlier medical intervention, although none was available. The deceased's death was ultimately alcohol related but contributed to by neglect."
Mr Gittens emphasised that evidence indicated an earlier response, even by just 20 to 30 minutes, would likely have saved Ms Parkhill's life. In response, he issued a formal Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust (WAST).
In his report, the coroner issued a powerful warning about persistent systemic issues: "For many years, myself and other coroners have raised concerns regarding so called 'ambulance delays'... I recognise that the challenges faced by WAST around the availability of resources are the result of multifactorial issues, however problems regarding the unavailability of resources persist... it is clear that lives continue to be lost as a result of this problem."
He added with evident frustration, "Despite all of the multi-agency efforts to improve the availability of resources and hence response times, nothing appears to change. I therefore remain concerned that lives continue to be at risk."
Ambulance Service Response and Promised Reforms
Liam Williams, Executive Director of Quality and Nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, offered sincere condolences to Ms Parkhill's family and accepted the coroner's findings. He stated the trust takes the Prevention of Future Deaths report "very seriously" and will respond in due course.
Mr Williams outlined steps being taken since the tragedy, including working with the Welsh Government to reform how 999 calls are categorised to ensure more people receive life-saving help. He stressed that improvement relies on "whole system collaboration," noting ongoing work with health boards like Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to reduce hospital handover delays, which would free up ambulance capacity.
"Together, these improvements will free up additional ambulance capacity so we can respond more quickly to those who need us most," Mr Williams said, confirming the service is in direct contact with Ms Parkhill's family.
This case adds to a growing catalogue of coroners' reports raising alarms over ambulance delays and resource pressures within the NHS in Wales, underscoring urgent calls for systemic change to prevent further loss of life.
