Vulnerable old woman, 86, left shivering on the pavement in TWO HOUR wait for ambulance
Busy night for trust meant frail pensioner was left in the cold in just a nightie
A VULNERABLE old woman was forced to lie on the pavement wearing just a nightdress while she waited more than TWO HOURS for an ambulance.
The frail 86-year-old was found wandering the streets in her slippers with a walking stick by concerned members of the public at around 2am.
Those who stopped to help the pensioner in Crumpsall, Manchester, including a local taxi driver, say they called for an ambulance FIVE TIMES before paramedics finally turned up at around 4.30am last Tuesday, reports the .
The driver told the newspaper that she complained to him she was going to fall and it was because she said she was in "severe pain" that he laid her down on the pavement.
Although she was just half a mile away from North Manchester General Hospital, neighbours who tried to help the pensioner were afraid to move her in case she had broken bones.
Instead they brought blankets and pillows and tried desperately to make her comfortable while they waited for the emergency services to arrive.
According to the publication a cop who arrived at the scene an hour later stayed with the frail pensioner and even placed his jacket over her to keep her warm while the wait for an ambulance went on.
It is believed the woman is still in hospital now.
Aysha Nazir, who lives nearby, said her husband Janghir was returning home from a night with friends when he spotted the woman with the taxi driver and stopped to help.
Aysha told the MEN: “He came and woke me up because this lady was frightened and was absolutely freezing.
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“She was drifting off to sleep and was begging us to take inside but we thought she had broken her hip so we couldn’t move her.
“We were all in shock. She’s 86 years old. It’s not as though she was drunk or it was self-inflicted, she was really vulnerable.
"I don’t know what would be classed as a priority if that wasn’t.
“I think it’s appalling that she had to wait that long.”
Ambulance bosses defended the delay, claiming that crews were responding to 55 life-threatening emergencies at the time meaning the woman had a longer wait than usual.
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said there were 101 ambulances and rapid response vehicles working throughout Greater Manchester between 7pm and 7am that night.
She added: “While this patient did wait longer than we would have liked, between the hours of 0100 and 0500 on this date, the Trust was responding to 55 life-threatening emergencies and so unfortunately, those with non life-threatening conditions will have had a longer wait.
“If the patient or their family would like to contact us, we would be happy to discuss the incident with them.”
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