A 93-year-old woman with a presumed hip fracture was left "screaming in pain" on the floor for more than 25 hours while waiting for an ambulance.
As reported by ITV News, care home staff heard a bump around 11:45AM on December 17 and found Elizabeth Davies - who had been a resident there for over 17 years - laying on the floor.
After waiting 25 hours for an ambulance, the elderly woman was eventually taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Wales, United Kingdom, to get treatment for her injury. However, she had to wait a further 12 hours before being admitted to a ward.
The outlet revealed images that show Elizabeth on a wooden floor with a cushion and a blanket while waiting for medics to arrive. Her family has claimed this took more than a day.
Ian Davies, her son, told NorthWalesLive that he was informed that his mother would be considered a priority due to her age.
Ian credited the care home staff for doing an "excellent" job in trying to make his mother feel as comfortable as possible on the wooden floor despite her sudden injury.
As well as supporting her head with a pillow, the staff placed a small heater next to her to keep her warm. As Elizabeth was unable to go to the toilet, they applied an absorbent pad on her so she could urinate.
The publication revealed that the care home made a total of nine calls - a tenth made by Ian and Susan, Elizabeth's daughter-in-law - to the ambulance.
The care home employees stayed with Elizabeth throughout the night and were informed each time they rang 999 - the UK's emergency services number - for an update that she was a "priority" and that an ambulance would arrive soon.
An ambulance finally arrived at around 1:15PM on December 18 - around 25 hours and 30 minutes after the elderly woman fell - and she was then taken to the hospital.
The Welsh Ambulance Service has since apologized for the delays and has expressed that the seasonal pressures, demand in the hospital, and lack of staff have led to long wait times.
"Winter pressures coupled with a surge in demand, staff sickness levels, and the wider system pressures across NHS Wales has inhibited our ability to respond," Stephen Sheldon, service manager for the Welsh Ambulance Service said, per ITV News.
"Extensive hospital handover delays are well documented and have led to some very long waits for patients," he added. "We are working with partners across Wales to mitigate the pressures as best we can."
