THE wife of a frail pensioner who fought to get him treatment after he endured an 18-hour A&E hospital trolley wait has said she is glad his "suffering his over" following his death.
Raymond Scott (80) from Belfast, who had heart and renal failure, died on St Patrick’s Day in a Co Down nursing home.
In January, his wife Mary told the Irish News how she "feared for his life" after he was admitted to an overstretched casualty unit at the Ulster hospital in Dundonald.
Two other pensioners were on trolleys beside Mr Scott - one was 98-years-old - and conditions at the unit were described as "chaotic".
A spike in admission to hospital A&E departments across the north at the beginning of the year led to pleas from health officials that only the most urgent cases attend.
The Ulster hospital was worst hit, with a 25 per cent increase in patients attending.
At the time, a health union criticised the hospital for "stopping the clock" in how it measured trolley wait patients after a health trust said he had waited less time because he had been transferred to a 'proper' bed – but was still in A&E.
Speaking ahead of her husband's funeral tomorrow, Mrs Scott said his health deteriorated rapidly during his final weeks.
"He didn’t eat for the last eight weeks of his life and could barely speak but shortly before he died he told me he loved me. I was glad I was with him when he passed," she said.
"He had a horrendous time in hospital and suffered a lot, I’m glad for him that it’s over. He was a big man and former shipyard worker who was also in the Merchant Navy. In the end, he was so ill I couldn’t care for him at home."
