City pensioner describes ordeal of extended wait

LEFT IN PAIN FOR 20 HOURS AWAITING AN AMBULANCE WP

- ANDY PHILLIPS

A PENSIONER has said he waited 20 hours for an ambulance after slipping over at his Plympton home, and then faced another six-hour wait outside Derriford Hospital, which he said was an example of the 'gross inefficiency of the NHS.

Christopher Maskell, aged 75, told The Herald he had 'badly hurt' his hip during a fall at home, but sat for more than 20 hours in an office chair before an ambulance reached him.

He said he then waited for another six hours outside Derriford's emergency department before he could be admitted - yet had only praise for the 'brilliant' staff.

Instead, Mr. Maskell said a lack of beds inside the hospital was causing a backlog, and the entire system 'should be investigated.'

In response, the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) has since apologized and said that the length of time it is taking crews to hand over patients to packed Emergency Departments is hampering its ability to get to call-outs more quickly.

The Trust said, that despite having put more resources into its services, patients were having to wait longer for an ambulance due to the health and social care system being under severe pressure.

Mr. Maskell said that, after his fall, he had to 'wriggle' from his kitchen to his living room - a 10ft journey which he said took him an hour before alerting his son, who came and managed to get him into an office-type chair.

After initially calling the NHS 111 helpline, he was told an ambulance would be sent 'within the next few minutes.'