Ambulance chiefs are to investigate why an elderly woman lay bleeding badly from a head wound on Sheringham High Street for nearly two hours before a vehicle arrived to take her to hospital.

Alex Hurrell, Reporter Thursday, September 27, 2012
9:00 AM

Joan Newton, 82, remembers hearing a paramedic repeatedly phoning to find out where the ambulance had got to as she lay distressed, cold, her clothes soaked in blood, and fearing she had broken her neck.

But it was a St John Ambulance vehicle which finally arrived to take her to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where a deep gash in her head was stitched and she remained for two days and nights.

The East of England Ambulance Trust (EEAST) has said the incident happened at a busy time but a paramedic had arrived to care for Miss Newton within the 30-minute response time for a patient reported to be fully alert and breathing normally.

The incident, on September 19, will be more grist to the mill today for North Norfolk Labour Party leaders who are due to meet EEAST chief executive Hayden Newton, and his NHS Norfolk counterpart, Andrew Morgan, to discuss concerns about cuts in the north Norfolk ambulance service.

Yesterday party members handed in a 6,503-signature protest petition to an EEAST board meeting.

The trust has revised its original proposed cuts in North Walsham’ and Cromer following a £3m injection announced earlier this month. The net effect would be to leave Walsham with 56 fewer ambulance hours per week but 168 more rapid response vehicle (RRV) hours. Cromer would have an extra four ambulance hours and 52 more RRV hours.

But Labour party chairman Denise Burke said extra RRV cover was not the answer. She added: “We will still have people needing onward transportation to hospital by ambulance. With the cuts in North Walsham we will be in a worse position than we are now.”

Miss Newton, from Weybourne, said she was still feeling “badly shaken and bruised” six days after her ordeal but praised all those who cared for her after she stumbled trying to avoid a reversing car.

They included Sheringham sisters Justine and Jessica Bailey, who said they heard a “massive thud” as Miss Newton’s head hit the pavement.

Justine dialled 999 at 4.04pm. The paramedic arrived 21 minutes later and the St John vehicle at 5.42pm, according to EEAST records.

The sisters tried to staunch the flow of blood and keep Miss Newton awake as her speech became slurred. “It was an emergency and she needed an ambulance which didn’t arrive – what happened was disgusting,” said Jessica, 22.

An EEAST spokesman said: “We are disappointed that the back up to take this patient to hospital was delayed and as such this incident will be subject to investigation. This was a particularly busy time with a high number of calls and a higher than usual number of ambulances waiting with patients to hand over at hospitals.” The extra £3m would help tackle increased demand across Norfolk.

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