A great grandmother died days after being forced to endure a 12-hour wait for treatment following a suspected stroke.
Mary Scott’s case was highlighted by Scottish Labour as they put pressure on the Scottish Government over waiting times.
The 93-year-old waited at home for six hours before an ambulance arrived, and spent another 2 hours on a trolley in a corridor at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Family members said there were no pillows and she had to be propped up with a folded sheet upon being admitted to the ward 12 hours after the 999 call.
Mrs Scott, who was described as “very independent,” died in the hospital on February 19, 10 days after being admitted.
Her family said they believe things might have been different if she had received more prompt treatment.
In a statement issued through the Labour Party, granddaughter Angela McCabe (47) said: “There were other patients waiting in the corridor in A&E, who had also been waiting hours for a bed on a ward.
“You read about these kinds of stories in the paper and see them on TV, but you don’t believe these things happen until it happens to you or a family member.
“We haven’t exaggerated any of this. This is how it really is. This is what people are really dealing with.”
Mary’s daughter, Jessie Nicholson (64), said family didn’t “want anyone else to go through the same thing.”
She added: “What is the point in spending money on advertising which tells you to act early if you suspect someone has a stroke but the hospitals don’t have the resources to follw through when you get there?”
Alex Salmond had earlier come under attack over waiting times during First Minister’s Questions after a report showed there were 323 cases where patients in A&E had to wait 12 hours three times longer than the target time in December.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We want to have as many people as possible treated within four hours of their admission to accident and emergency and we have to recognise that while the vast majority of people are and while overall hospital waiting times have improved further improvements can still be made.
“There is no doubt that it was a busy winter with more emergency admissions than the same time last year and with the additional complexity of an early norovirus season.
“We have already made clear that we are taking significant action to improve unscheduled care in Scotland to make sure people are seen and treated in our hospitals and as quickly as possible.
“Changing the whole system takes time, which is why as part of that investment package of £50m we will be doubling our winter planning fund to £6m this winter.”