A VULNERABLE disabled man with motor neurone disease spent 11 hours on the floor waiting for an ambulance after he collapsed at home.

John Adams, dubbed the MND Warrior and Sir John, collapsed while getting off his stairlift at his Droitwich home on Sunday evening.

Fortunately, two 'lovely' carers were with him at the time and able to make him comfortable with a quilt and pillows at his Vine Lane home until paramedics were able to check him over.

He fell at about 7.15pm but an ambulance did not arrive until 6.30am the following morning.

 

The 79-year-old, who shares his experiences with his 7,500 Twitter followers, did not suffer any obvious bruising and did go to hospital. The carers were advised not to move him. 

His daughter, Helen Millward, who works as a hospital volunteer, says she sees on a daily basis the pressure the NHS is under.

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Mrs Millward said: "He's fine now and smiling and cheerful again. He was very shaken and shook up at the time. It has been a bit of an ordeal for him. I don't want to criticise the NHS. They have been very supportive in the past and I don't blame the paramedics. They're extremely busy and short-staffed."

However, she added: "It's not good enough for anybody to wait that long for an ambulance with a life-ending condition. Clearly, it has to be addressed."

Mr Adams himself said: "There were people in more need than myself."

He had been going to bed and transferring from his stairlift to his frame when he collapsed to the floor. Because of his MND, his muscles are very weak which is why the carers are behind him and in front of him when he uses the device.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call from a carer of a patient with Motor Neurone Disease who had had a fall but was uninjured; they were unable to get him up from the floor but had made him comfortable with pillows and a duvet.

“The call was triaged as a Category 4, the lowest level of urgency as the patient was unhurt.

“On twelve occasions, an ambulance was dispatched but was diverted to higher priority calls.  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.

“After the ambulance crew undertook an assessment the patient chose not to go to hospital, against advice.

“The 999 service is primarily there for cases where a life is at risk or a patient has a potentially life threatening illness or injury.  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.”