A PRE-INQUEST review has heard that a Pembrokeshire mother would likely have survived had ambulance personnel arrived in time.

Charlotte Burston, 40, from Llanteg, fell ill with chest pains on Christmas Day 2023. Her teenage daughter called 999 twice, but an ambulance was delayed by over an hour and a half. With no medical help available, her stepfather, Brian Lye, drove her towards Withybush Hospital.

Tragically, she suffered a heart attack at Robeston Wathen and later died at Morriston Hospital on New Year’s Eve.

The Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) previously admitted an “error in allocation” regarding the emergency calls. A report presented at today’s hearing concluded that had a paramedic been present, a defibrillator could have been used, and Ms Burston would, on the balance of probabilities, have survived.

At the hearing on Friday (Feb 21) Pembrokeshire Coroner Mark Layton said: “Had the call been preferentially allocated, this would have led to somebody being sent to the address, and the allocation of such a person, on the balance of probabilities, would have altered the tragic outcome.”

A full inquest, expected to last a day, will take place in late spring or early summer.

SENEDD Members urged the Welsh Government to put an end to the “undignified and disrespectful” practice of corridor care in Welsh hospitals.

James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, warned corridor care has become the norm and the crisis can no longer be ignored.

He said: “A crisis where patients – mothers, fathers, grandparents – are left waiting in chairs for hours and sometimes days waiting for a bed.

“A crisis where ambulance crews spend hours parked outside hospitals and when they get inside they’re left waiting in corridors.

“A crisis where doctors and nurses, despite their dedication and tireless efforts, are being pushed beyond breaking point, describing their workplaces as war zones with patients placed everywhere. This is a national disgrace.”

Leading a Tory debate on February 19, Mr Evans raised a report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) which warned corridor care is putting patients at risk in every part of Wales.

He told the Senedd: “If we’re serious about ending corridor care, we must also free up hospital capacity. We must pause the reduction in hospital beds and conduct a national review of NHS capacity.”

Mr Evans, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, expressed concerns about social care being underfunded, understaffed and unable to take patients ready to leave hospital.

Urging ministers to accept the report’s recommendations, he highlighted the RCN’s calls for more clinical decision makers on weekends, district nurses and community care teams.

He said: “Corridor care should never be allowed to happen and we must never, ever tolerate it. This means making it a never event, something so unacceptable it must never happen.”

His Plaid Cymru counterpart Mabon ap Gwynfor described the RCN report as painting a bleak picture of a health service that puts patients and staff at risk.

“The report reinforces what we have heard,” he said. “With heart-rending examples of patients dying in their chairs in a hospital corridor while waiting for treatment.

“It’s a totally undignified and disrespectful way of treating our loved ones, and the [Welsh] Government must ensure that this practice comes to an end.”

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas pointed to the impact of 14 years of austerity, with cuts shared between social care and the health service.

The Conservatives’ Altaf Hussain said a 73-year-old constituent spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day being treated in the waiting room at Morriston Hospital.

Dr Hussain, a former surgeon, told the Senedd: “Emergency departments are working far above staffing guidelines that the Royal College of Emergency Medicine suggests.

“Staff are completely burnt out; they dread coming into work and many feel extremely anxious before their shifts. Many staff cry regularly on shift…. If nurses are telling us the situation is dire, we should listen and act.”

His Tory colleague Janet-Finch Saunders said more than 6,500 ambulances spent at least an hour outside a Welsh A&E waiting to offload patients in December alone.

She said:  “Nursing staff describe patients treated in chairs for over 24 hours – 48 hours I’ve witnessed – forced into hallways or in front of fire exits due to a lack of available beds.

“I know of one constituent only recently, I saw them being treated in a cupboard.”

Health secretary Jeremy Miles stated the Welsh Government will focus on strengthening the whole health and care system, not only hospitals.

He said: “I don’t believe that it is acceptable to provide care or treatment in areas that are not clinical settings, or areas that are inappropriate. But this is happening because the health service here and across the UK is under huge pressure.”

Mr Miles added: “Our district and community nursing teams play a vital role in delivering high-quality care closer to home, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions….

“We are committed to expanding and investing in this part of the nursing workforce to meet the needs of our population and to improve outcomes.”

Senedd Members voted 26-24 against the motion. The Welsh Government’s amendment, to note the report rather than commit to its recommendations, was agreed by the same margin.

NHS DENTISTRY in Wales is in crisis. The state of NHS dental care has been overshadowed by the broader collapse of NHS services in Wales, from spiraling waiting lists to patients being treated in hospital corridors.

This week, the British Dental Association (BDA) took a chainsaw to Welsh Government claims of an improving picture in NHS dentistry, accusing ministers of spreading half-truths and spin.

A SYSTEM IN DECLINE

NHS dentistry garners fewer headlines than delays in cancer treatment, GP shortages, and the overall deterioration of the Welsh NHS. Yet, of all these crises, the rapid collapse of dental services is among the most stark.

The Herald asked Hywel Dda University Health Board how many dental practices in Pembrokeshire had vacancies for NHS patients. The Health Board could not provide an answer. That means local patients in need of dental care must either ring around every dental practice listed on Hywel Dda’s website or rely on emergency services. Even for those accepted onto an NHS dental list, waiting times for treatment remain extensive.

Currently, more than 1.5 million people in Wales are unable to secure an NHS dentist, with many more facing months or even years of delays.

Sam Kurtz, MS for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, called the situation “one of the top issues” raised by his constituents.

“The system is failing,” Mr Kurtz said. “Patients are left in pain, dentists are overwhelmed, and public trust in NHS dentistry is eroding, all while the Welsh Labour Government sits back and watches this crisis unfold.”

LONG-TERM FAILURE TO ACT

As with many issues plaguing the Welsh NHS, the collapse of NHS dentistry was predictable—and avoidable.

As The Herald reported last week regarding GP shortages, dentists have been retiring at a foreseeable rate for years, with little or no effort made to replace them—especially those willing to take on NHS patients.

Over 10% of dentists have been leaving the profession annually since 2010-11, with 2024 marking the second-highest departure rate in over a decade. The overall number of dentists in Wales continues to decline, with around 20% nearing retirement.

In 2022, 93% of dental practices in Wales were not accepting new NHS patients, and 88% were refusing new child patients.

The impact of this failure to recruit and retain dentists is clear.

Large parts of rural Wales are now NHS dental deserts. The lack of access disproportionately affects children, older people, pregnant individuals, disabled people, those with additional learning needs, and lower-income families.

Despite repeated assurances from the Welsh Government about increasing NHS dental appointments and the supposed success of its dental contract, reports from Senedd committees and direct questioning in the Welsh Parliament reveal a chasm between ministerial claims and patients’ realities.

DENTISTS ACCUSE WELSH GOVERNMENT OF ‘BAD FAITH’

This week, the British Dental Association delivered a scathing assessment of the Welsh Government’s handling of NHS dentistry.

“For too long, the Welsh Government has offered spin, half-truths, or doublespeak on dentistry,” the BDA said.

In an open letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Miles, the BDA called for honesty, accusing the government of misrepresenting negotiations over the General Dental Service contract for 2024-25.

Mr Miles claimed the Welsh General Dental Practice Committee had refused further negotiations, but the BDA described this as “a spectacular act of bad faith.”

The association warned that the promised funding uplift for dental practices—backdated to April 2024—has yet to materialise, putting the financial sustainability of services at risk.

“This uplift means another real-terms pay cut for dentists and insufficient funds to cover running costs,” the BDA said. “It will not begin to meet the hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions coming in April.”

The BDA also criticised the Welsh Government’s misleading claims about investment and patient numbers.

“Ministers claim investment and patient numbers are breaking records. The reality is that investment in dentistry has stalled, and the number of patients seen each year remains 30% lower than in 2019. It is time our patients received the dental service they deserve—not empty promises and PR stunts like the so-called Dental Access Portal, which does nothing to create extra appointments out of thin air.”

‘GASLIGHTING’ WALES ON DENTISTRY

At the heart of the crisis is the deeply flawed NHS dental contract, which offers a fixed price for all NHS treatments. This financial model forces dentists to hand back contracts or operate at a loss. Complex procedures, which take time and resources, often leave dentists out of pocket, discouraging them from taking on NHS work.

Plaid Cymru’s Health and Social Care spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, did not mince words, accusing Labour of “gaslighting” the Welsh public over the scale of the crisis.

“The people of Wales experience this crisis daily—being forced to go private, travelling long distances, or, in extreme cases, pulling their own teeth. Meanwhile, dentists are burning out.

“Labour’s empty boast of 400,000 ‘extra’ appointments has rightly been called out as spin. NHS dentistry needs fundamental, systemic reform. The contract is simply not fit for purpose, and, like the entire primary care sector, it must be prioritised.”

The question now is whether the Welsh Government will listen—or whether patients will continue to suffer while ministers cling to their narrative.