Poole woman, 97, waits 14 hours for ambulance after fall

Mr Saxby says his mother Kathleen "should be in a care home really, but she wants to stay at home"

A man has said he is "extremely angry" his 97-year-old mother had to wait 14 hours for an ambulance.

Tim Saxby said his mother fell at her Poole home on Saturday lunchtime, but was not taken to hospital until early the following morning.

Mr Saxby said his elderly mother had to spend half the night on the floor of her hallway waiting for help.

South Western Ambulance Service (SWAS) apologised for "the experience this patient endured".

Kathleen Saxby, who lives alone at home in Poole, used her personal alarm to alert her carers when she fell.

The pensioner's son said the carers arrived at her home at midday and immediately dialled 999. They were told an ambulance was seven hours away.

"I could have driven down there myself in that time, but I can't leave my ill wife," Mr Saxby said, who lives in Sidcup, Kent.

"They said they'd let me know, but then nothing happened for ages and ages," the 72-year-old added.

The ambulance arrived at 02:39 BST, more than 14 hours after the initial 999 call.

'Extremely angry'

Mr Saxby said the next contact he had with the carers was on Sunday morning around midday, when they called to let him know his mother had been taken into hospital.

"I called A&E and they said they were busy and asked that I call back in a couple of hours.

"But I didn't get to call them back because my mum called me to say she was home.

"I'm extremely angry, I know the NHS is short of staff, but the carers can't lift people. Why can't they send the fire brigade, they can lift people can't they?"

SWASFT apologised for the delay Mrs Saxby faced and said handover delays were partly to blame

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are sorry for the experience this patient endured.

"The whole health and social care system has been under sustained pressure for many months now, this means that some patients are having to wait longer for an ambulance than they would expect.

"Our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments."

The BBC has approached Mrs Saxby's carers RS Holistic Care for comment.