AN ELDERLY Gwent woman was left waiting for more than seven hours for an ambulance to return her to hospital after her dialysis treatment.

Valerie Williams, 70, was left waiting in a wheelchair after having her dialysis treatment at the Heath hospital, Cardiff, on Wednesday.

Mrs Williams, of Pentwyn Road, Blackwood, finished her four-hour treatment by 5.30pm, but did not get back to Ystrad Mynach hospital, where she is currently staying, until 1.10am on Thursday.

The retired machinist needs dialysis twice a week, and her husband, Courtney Williams, 70, said he thought the wait she had to endure was unacceptable.

He said: "It was terrible, she's in agony, she's really in pain, she's not a well woman."

A spokesman for the Ambulance trust said the wait was due to an "exceptionally high" number of 999 calls.

Mrs Williams suffers from diabetes, an enlarged heart, full kidney failure, breast cancer and has also fractured her hip twice and broken her kneecap.

The couple have been married for 44 years and Mr Williams said he was "worried about her all the time," as he waited to hear from Ystrad Mynach that she had got back.

Mr Williams, a retired foreman at Alcan industries in Rogerstone, said his wife was so ill "she can't get in or out of bed."

He added: "It's ridiculous, to have her wait at that time of night, she's not a well woman at all, we're very concerned about her.

A spokesman for the ambulance trust said: "The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust apologised for the "upset" caused by the delay.

A spokesman said: "The Trust has met with both Mr and Mrs Williams to explain the situation and has apologised to them both in person.

"The Trust recognises the importance of keeping any patient delays to a minimum, and are currently reviewing the way in which non emergency patients are managed outside normal working hours."