Yorkshire heart attack patient urged to take lift to York hospital

An ambulance trust has apologised after a man having a heart attack said he was advised to get a lift to hospital or face a long wait.

Graham Reagan said he was on the verge of collapsing when he finally got to York hospital after a lift from his son.

Mr Reagan said he was concerned about the impact on patients with potentially life-threatening conditions.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it was under "significant pressure".

Speaking to BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire's Politics North programme, Mr Reagan described his experience as "scary".

"I'd had indigestion, or so I thought, for a couple of days, and then on 17 December I went to bed early feeling rough," he said.

In the early hours, Mr Reagan said the pains in his chest grew worse and he asked his wife to call for an ambulance.

"I couldn't take it any more," he said.

Mr Reagan faced a second delay while waiting for an ambulance to transfer him from York to Hull for treatment

Mr Reagan, from Malton in North Yorkshire, said his wife was asked "can you get to hospital" as the nearest ambulance was about 20 to 30 miles away.

"My wife doesn't drive, but fortunately my son was with us and he drove me to York hospital."

"I'm in the back of the car - the pain is getting worse and I'm now getting quite upset," he said.

On arrival Mr Reagan said they found the entrance to A&E had also been re-routed.

"So, we then had to walk out of the hospital grounds and back in - by which time I'm collapsing," he added.

He said staff at the hospital were "absolutely brilliant" and arranged for him to be transferred to Hull for treatment after a heart attack was confirmed.

However, he said he was faced with a further 35-minute delay while he waited for an ambulance to take him.

Mr Reagan said he wanted to share his experience to raise awareness.

"Today might be the day when there aren't enough ambulances, and you might be the person who is waiting for one," he added.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) said staff were doing their best to respond as quickly as possible to all emergencies

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said they were sorry to hear of Mr Reagan's concerns.

They said, in common with other ambulance services, they had been under "significant operational pressures for some time" and, while staff did their best to respond quickly, they acknowledged "some patients are having to wait longer for an ambulance response".

On Thursday, it was announced the service is to get support from military personnel amid pressure on staffing due to Covid-related absences.