Sudbury man breaks back making own way to hospital due to no ambulance

Tim Richardson fractured two vertebrae after suffering a violent seizure when being driven to hospital by his wife, because no ambulance was available

An emergency patient suffered life-changing injuries as he was driven to hospital by his wife after being told an ambulance was not available.

Tim Richardson broke two vertebrae when he had an epileptic seizure while a passenger in the car.

The couple from Sudbury, Suffolk, are blaming pressures on the NHS for what happened.

The East of England Ambulance Service said it would be responding to their complaint.

Mr Richardson, 54, and his wife Janie desperately tried to get help when they thought he was suffering a recurrence of stroke symptoms on 20 June.

They called their local GP surgery but were told to dial 999.

When phoning the emergency line, Mrs Richardson said "an automated message came through advising to take yourself to hospital if you were able to" after she was put into a call queue.

She said the message stated the ambulance service was under "extreme pressure" and no vehicles were available.

It was during the car journey to West Suffolk Hospital that Mr Richardson, who was in the passenger seat, started shaking violently and foaming at the mouth.

Mrs Richardson said she was "hysterical" and stopped the car, with members of the public coming to their assistance.

Another attempt to call an ambulance was made and a paramedic car arrived.

At that point, she said Mr Richardson was "screaming" with back pain.

An ambulance arrived later and he was then driven to the hospital, where the couple said they were told by a consultant that two of his vertebrae had been fractured.

Mrs Richardson said they were told he had broken his back in the car because he had a seizure with a seatbelt on.

The couple said if they knew an ambulance might have become available, they would never have stepped in the car.

'Staff in tears'

Mr Richardson was transferred to Ipswich Hospital where he underwent surgery to insert rods to support his spine

Mr Richardson was transferred to Ipswich Hospital, where they said they encountered staff in tears because of the pressure they were under.

Recovering after surgery to place 17cm (7in) rods in his back, he said he was left food but was unable to reach it.

They said the area around his bed was dirty and the ward "disgracefully under-staffed".

On 28 June, Mr Richardson phoned his wife to say he was "screaming out for assistance" and had to defecate in the bed.

Mr Richardson is in constant pain after two steel rods supporting his vertebrae were inserted into his back

Giles Thorpe, chief nurse at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital, said: "We were very concerned to hear about the issues raised by Mrs Richardson in her complaint to the Trust.

"A formal investigation is under way, and we will involve Mr and Mrs Richardson fully with our review and findings once that investigation is complete."

'Waiting to die'

Mr Richardson, seen here with his daughters, was a keen golfer before he injured his back

A stroke in 2021 had left Mr Richardson partially sighted, but he said: "I was very fit with hobbies and a keen golfer to club standard."

He said he could no longer play the sport he loved and struggled to get dressed in the morning.

A week ago the pain from the injury left him feeling desperate. "I lay in bed waiting to die," he said.

Mrs Richardson said she was convinced what happened to her husband was a result of the NHS buckling under the strain.

"When is this going to be corrected? This has to be addressed at the highest levels," she said.

"How many people are dying or being permanently disabled because the service is failing?"

Mr Richardson has been told his complaint is being looked into

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "Our services are under incredible demand and sometimes callers will hear an automated message asking them to stay on the line, and consider making their own way to hospital only if safe to do so.

"In extreme circumstances, if a call has not been picked up for three minutes, it is automatically rerouted to another ambulance service.

"Our paramedics are trained to dynamically risk assess situations and act in the best interests of the patient's health. Mr and Mrs Richardson have made a formal complaint and we will be shortly responding to the questions they have raised."