83-year-old Betsy Hulme, after a garden fall, faced a 7-hour wait for an ambulance, with her son eventually resorting to fire crews for help, criticizing emergency response times.
83-year-old Betsy Hulme faced a seven-hour wait for an ambulance after a fall in her garden in Leek. Her son, Steve Hulme, a former ambulance technician, called for help and was told an ambulance could take several hours due to handover delays. After a three-hour wait, Steve drove to a nearby fire station where fire crews rescued Betsy and transported her to the hospital. Steve criticized emergency response times and called for systemic change within the ambulance service. West Midlands Ambulance Service apologized for the delay, attributing it to long handover delays at hospitals.
April 04, 2024
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