It's an emergency: Calls for support for under-pressure 999 service as injured OAPs endure lengthy waits for ambulances

It comes as more grim stories come to light of pensioners lying injured waiting for hours for medical assistance and ambulances to take them to hospital.

Patients have said paramedics are stretched to the limit and the NHS needs funding to to do its job properly.

It comes amid a rise in emergency calls, paramedic shortages, as well as pressure on GPs and hospitals which add to problems.

The Echo first reported the case of Beryl Young, 77, from Dorchester, left waiting in a garden for an ambulance for three-and-a-half hours after a fall, forcing her daughter to put together a makeshift tent to protect her from hypothermia.

We also reported the case of an injured woman left waiting in the cold who was told an ambulance would come for her - but in the end a taxi was dispatched to take her to hospital.

South Western Ambulance Service says due to the number of calls it has been dealing with, it must prioritise resources to patients who are unconscious and not breathing.

This means patients who are not seen as a priority but who also need help are often left stranded for long periods.

Medic used his tent to shelter pensioner from rain

A MEDIC used his own tent to shelter an injured pensioner from the rain as she waited for an ambulance after falling on the pavement.

Esmee Nicholls is full of praise for the teams who looked after her – but says her long wait for an ambulance is another example of a service under pressure and under resourced.

Mrs Nicholls, 75, broke her hip after tripping up on a pathway near her home in Bayard Road, Littlemoor, Weymouth.

It happened in darkness and in pouring rain as Mrs Nicholls walked home with husband Roger after enjoying a New Year's Day meal with relatives.

Although a first responder was quickly on scene, followed by a paramedic, it took an hour-and-a-half for an ambulance to arrive and take her to hospital.

Mrs Nicholls, who was screaming in pain as well as being soaked, said she was so cold and wet by the time medics arrived, they were unable to get a line into her vein to give her pain relieving drugs.

She was sheltered using a tent belonging to the first responder, a keen fell walker, who had it in his own car.

When she finally got to Dorset County Hospital and after initial treatment she was put in a bed next to Beryl Young, the pensioner from Dorchester who also had to wait a lengthy period for an ambulance after a fall.

The pair exchanged stories as they recovered on the ward, Mrs Nicholls said.

Mrs Nicholls was home a few days after her hip operation as doctors noted she was fit and active for her age, although she was later found to have shingles after a few days resting at home.

Mrs Nicholls rides her bicycle regularly, volunteers in a charity shop and is an active member of the local Catholic church community, and is looking forward to being busy again.

She wrote letters to the ambulance service and the hospital, thanking them for the care she received.

"I couldn't fault them, they were all wonderful," she said.

"But clearly the ambulance service is short of money and resources and I feel it should be getting more funding. They all work so hard and are under so much pressure.

"I realised that other cases would take priority over mine, and new year would have been very busy. I became more of a priority as time went on as I was getting very cold."

She added: "I remember being absolutely saturated and very cold as I waited. It was pitch black and I was clinging to a fence, screaming in pain.

"One of the ambulance people got a tent from his car to protect me from the rain.

"The paramedics were very apologetic but there wasn't anything they could do as they only have so many ambulances available."

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service, said: “The lady sent the attending staff a very touching letter of appreciation and a thank you card for all their efforts in treating her. One of our operations managers has also spoken with her. We are sorry to learn of her experience and extremely grateful to her for taking the trouble to contact us.

"Unfortunately, New Year’s Day was one of the busiest days of the year and over 3,300 emergency calls were made, more than 200 of these were from the west Dorset area.

“The 999 call came in just after 6.45pm informing us that a female had fallen and sustained a leg injury. A Community First Responder, who is a volunteer trained to attend certain incidents as an initial response, arrived within 12 minutes of the call and did a fantastic job in caring for the lady, staying on scene for almost an hour and a half.

"A paramedic officer arrived within an hour and provided further care and before the ambulance crew arrived approximately an hour and a half after the original 999 call was made.

“Owing to the volume of calls the ambulance service is dealing with, it is necessary to prioritise our ambulance resources to patients who are unconscious and not breathing. Unfortunately, there are occasions, like this, where we take longer to reach patients than we would like.”

Pensioner 'bleeding profusely' driven to hospital by anxious friends after ambulance wait

A 96-YEAR-OLD woman seriously injured in a fall ended up being driven to hospital by friends when an ambulance failed to turn up after a lengthy wait.

Nancy Pryde was left 'bleeding profusely' after falling and hitting her head walking to church.

She was helped by people arriving at Radipole United Reformed Church in Weymouth who made her comfortable and called an ambulance. An off-duty paramedic who lives nearby offered medical assistance and attempted to get an ambulance to the scene.

But after an hour-and-a-half with no sign of an ambulance and fears for her deteriorating health, friends dismissed advice not to move her and drove her to Dorset County Hospital themselves.

She was treated for two bleeds to her brain and given stitches to a head wound.

Her daughter-in-law Margaret Pryde, who lives in Southampton, said: "Her life was in danger, and for no ambulance to turn up is just outrageous.

"She was bleeding profusely, her clothes were soaked in blood. One of the ladies that helped her and got her in to the car to take her to hospital has been left quite traumatised by it all."

Margaret added: "I understand that the service is under a lot of pressure, but this is putting lives in danger.

"Had it been another day when the church wasn’t open, or the paramedic wasn’t there, she could have been lying in the road, in the freezing cold, waiting for help."

Janette Martindill, Nancy’s friend and neighbour, said: "I have known her for 40 years, she is such an independent lady, a dear soul with a lovely outlook on life. She is a dearly loved member of the church and a very active member of the community."

She added: "We have to take a stand with all this. I know it is happening more and more. I know there is limited funds but on the other hand the service needs to be there."

Nancy is still being treated in hospital with her son Jack at her bedside.

The family have lodged a formal complaint with South Western Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service, said: “The Trust is sorry to learn of this patient’s experience. We are aware of the incident and looking into the matter further.

"A 999 call was made by an off-duty member of staff just before 11am on January 22 reporting that an elderly lady had fallen and sustained a facial laceration. A second call was made just before 12pm, during which another triage process took place, before a third call came in at 12.30pm advising that the patient was being taken to hospital by car.

"Our highest priority calls are for patients reported to be unconscious and not breathing. The lady was reported to be conscious and breathing throughout and a triage process was carried out during the first two calls we received.”

OAP on floor for two-and-a-half hours

THE son of an 87-year-old woman left waiting on the floor of her home for more than two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance to arrive said she “could have died”.

Kevin Squibb said he could not believe the length of time his mother Marjory had to endure on the floor in pain whilst she waited for an ambulance.

He believes his mother had fallen during the night some 24 hours before she was taken to hospital and could only crawl around her home at Hanborough Park in Chickerell, Weymouth.

When he got to her at 9.30pm, after his sister was unable to contact their mother, he found her on the floor.

Mr Squibb called the ambulance and when the call was ended at 9.50pm he was told an ambulance had been dispatched.

He said he was forced to call twice more to ask where the ambulance was. He was unable to move his mother due to her condition and by the time the ambulance finally arrived at 12.40am he believed she must have been lying on the floor for around 24 hours.

Mr Squibb said: “When I phoned the ambulance service after an hour or so they told me she was their top priority she had been laid there for so long but still nobody came within the next hour. The lady on the phone said she felt so sorry for my mum.”

Mr Squibb’s mother is still in hospital, suffering from pneumonia, and he said he was shocked at how long a woman of her age and in her condition was forced to wait for emergency services to arrive.

He said: “She could have died to be honest.”

A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service said: “A 999 call was made by the patient’s son on the evening of January 9, informing us that his mother had fallen the previous day and required help.

“A thorough triage process was carried out, as is the case with all 999 calls, and an assurance was made that an ambulance would attend.

“A further two 999 calls were made before the ambulance crew arrived, during which a nurse spoke with the caller to ensure that the patient, who was reported as conscious and breathing throughout, had not worsened.

“The crew arrived on scene approximately two and half hours from the time of the initial call.

“Owing to the volume of calls the ambulance service is dealing with, it is necessary to prioritise our calls to patients who are unconscious and not breathing.

“We are sorry to learn of this lady’s experience and there are occasions, like this, where we take longer to reach patients than we would like.

“No-one has contacted us to raise any concerns in relation to this incident.”

Elderly man left waiting on floor

A PART-time carer told how an elderly man she looks after was left waiting for medical assistance for almost two hours.

Linda Beavis has cared for 84-year-old Bill Hamblin for the past 18 months and visits him three times a week.

Over the Christmas period, at his home in Broadmayne, Mr Hamblin lost his footing, stumbled back on to his coffee table and landed awkwardly on the floor.

Thankfully Linda was at his home at the time and was able to call Care Line which arranged for paramedics to attend.

Mr Hamblin didn't need to go to hospital in the end but it was some time before medics arrived to check him.

Linda said: "Bill was in the living room and had started doing a crossword. He got up to look out of the window and stumbled and then fell back on to the coffee table and broke it. I knew it was a bad fall from the way he landed.

"I told him not to move and rang Care Line who informed me an ambulance was on the way. This was at 11.50am. Nearly two hours later the ambulance arrived. For the whole time Bill was on the floor."

Bill, who used to be a professional boxer and is described by Linda as having a "fantastic character", has suffered seven heart attacks. He is also a diabetic which further added to Linda's concerns on the day.

Linda added: "When the ambulance crew came they were absolutely fantastic and showed great concern and were very attentive to Bill. But the fact is that he had to wait two hours for help.

"Initially he said he said his back was very painful so I didn't want to move him in case I did more damage.

"When enquiring about why it had taken so long I was told that it was a busy time of year. And I completely understand that. And I understand that the NHS is under staffed and over stretched.

"But who is to say what could have happened if I hadn't have been here with him?"

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service, said: “The initial 999 call was made at 11.49am reporting that a male had fallen, was conscious and breathing, and experiencing back pain. A carer was with the patient and an ambulance arrived on scene just after 1.30pm. The patient received treatment at the scene and did not need to be taken to a hospital.

“Between the time the initial call was made and when the ambulance arrived, there were 16 time-critical life-threatening emergency calls across Dorset and we need to prioritise patients who are unconscious and not breathing.

"In the face of rising public demand and expectations, a finite resource and the challenges of investment in the ambulance service, SWASFT is taking part in the national NHS ambulance response programme which aims to improve response times to critically ill patients and make sure the most appropriate response is provided for each patient first time.”