Droitwich man with MND waited 11 hours for ambulance

John Adams, pictured with carer Caroline Jordan, was diagnosed with MND in 2017

A 79-year-old man with motor neurone disease (MND) was left waiting for more than 11 hours for an ambulance after collapsing at home.

Grandfather John Adams, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, was stuck on the floor from Sunday evening into Monday.

He had been using a stairlift to go upstairs to bed when his ordeal began.

West Midlands Ambulance Service apologised and said that 12 times a vehicle was dispatched but "diverted to higher priority calls".

Mr Adams, who had been given a life expectancy of 12 to 18 months six years ago, has raised more than £21,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association since his diagnosis.

He said the process of accessing ambulances had now become a "deterrent" to going to hospital.

One of his carers, Caroline Jordan, said a 999 call was made at about 19:30 BST on Sunday.

She stated: "We got him upstairs via his stairlift. As he got to the top of the stairs, he [was] transferring from the stairlift to his walking frame. His legs gave way underneath him and that's where we had to leave him."

Ms Jordan added that Mr Adams was made "a nest out of all the cushions and quilts that we could find" and further calls were made.

"But it was always the same: 'we're very busy, we're very sorry, there'll be someone there with you as soon as we can'.

"He had spells where he was able to get some sleep. Basically we were just sitting on the floor drinking black coffee."

Mr Adams with granddaughters Emily, left, Lucie bottom right, and daughter Helen

Mr Adams said: "It is a cause of concern when the options of using a health service becomes uncertain.

"I think most people in my situation are now finding it hard to make decisions about going to hospital, because the entire process has now become a deterrent."

Mr Adams ultimately chose not to go to hospital when paramedics attended and is recovering at home.

The ambulance service said a patient "had had a fall but was uninjured" and a call was "triaged as a Category 4, the lowest level of urgency as the patient was unhurt".

A spokesperson explained: "On the 13th occasion, the ambulance arrived with the patient but that was not until 11 hours 15 minutes after the initial call, for which we apologise."

They added the 999 service was "primarily there for cases where a life is at risk or a patient has a potentially life-threatening illness or injury". 

The spokesperson said: "Where a patient is either unhurt or less seriously injured or ill, then people should consider calling 111 or using the online symptom checker which is available at www.111.nhs.uk - using this service will not delay an ambulance if one is required."