Apology after Cornish pensioner 'waits nine hours for ambulance in street'
72-year-old Mary Kinsella from Helston reportedly broke her hip after a fall
Last updated 13th Oct 2022
It is being reported that a Cornish pensioner was left waiting nine hours for an ambulance in the street.
72-year-old Mary Kinsella from Helston is understood to have broken her hip after a fall while she was walking her dog.
It is claimed her family first phoned for an ambulance just after 1:30pm on Tuesday but, after making further calls, were told none were available.
Crews reportedly did not arrive until 10.30pm that night.
In a statement, South Western Ambulance Service has apologised, citing handover delays at emergency departments and "enormous pressure" on social care.
Bosses insist they are working with partners, to make sure clinicians get back on the road as quickly as possible.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: "We are sorry that we were unable to provide a timely response to Ms Kinsella.
"Our ambulance clinicians strive every day to give their best to patients, but our performance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to handover delays at emergency departments.
"Health and social care services are under enormous pressure.
"We are working with our partners to ensure our ambulance clinicians can get back out on the road as quickly as possible, to respond to other 999 calls within the community".
Mary Kinsella's case follows an incident involving a pensioner from Indian Queens, who had to wait 15 hours for an ambulance outside in the rain.
David Wakeley's family built a makeshift tent to shelter him after the 87-year-old suffered a fall.