Man, 84, left lying on driveway after breaking hip

Graham Woolston, 84, was left lying on his driveway in the rain after breaking his hip

An 84-year-old man with heart conditions endured an agonising three-hour wait for an ambulance while lying on his damp driveway after breaking his hip.

Graham Woolston was driven to his home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, by his son Daniel Woolston last Friday before falling and injuring himself at about 22:20 GMT.

Despite his age and pre-existing medical conditions, coupled with the cold weather, paramedics did not arrive at the scene until about 01:20 GMT.

Neill Moloney, chief executive of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), said: "We would like to apologise sincerely to Mr Woolston and his family."

Daniel Woolston (right) said he was "angry" with East of England Ambulance Service

Mr Woolston had just spent eight hours in James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, Norfolk, after experiencing dizziness over Christmas.

But after arriving home, he stumbled out of his son's car and hit the floor, shattering his hip and leaving him in excruciating pain.

After calling for an ambulance Daniel, 47, and his sister, with the help of neighbours, covered him in a duvet and blankets and used an umbrella to keep him dry.

Within an hour and a half of the fall, Mr Woolston started to look "a bit pale", so Daniel called the ambulance service again, but to no avail.

He was, however, told to get a defibrillator kit in the event his dad went into cardiac arrest, which he interpreted as being asked to "play paramedic".

'Made me angry'

Eventually, about three hours after his fall, paramedics from Ipswich arrived before transporting him to hospital.

"They seemed massively shocked that he had been left on the floor for so long," said Daniel, whose mother died from pneumonia at the end of October.

"It was very concerning because he is very frail and it just befuddled me because you don't expect an ambulance to take three hours to get to someone like that.

"It made me angry."

Daniel, whose father also has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said Mr Woolston was recovering in hospital after an operation, but said the outcome could have been much worse.

"We didn't know if he had any internal bleeding in his leg. His break could have severed an artery, and there was the chance of hypothermia as well," he said.

"He could have been in a really critical condition by the time they arrived.

"It's worrying because the ambulance service is not one you can call an emergency service now. Unless you are on death's door, you are not going to be seen."

Neill Moloney, chief executive of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), apologised to Mr Woolston and his family

Mr Moloney said "regrettably" pressures on the NHS over the festive period meant some patients had experienced longer waits for an ambulance.

"We are sorry to everyone affected," he added.

"Our teams have been working exceptionally hard to respond to patients as quickly as possible, prioritising those who need the most urgent care and attention."