Gloucester woman waits 15 hours for ambulance after breaking ankle at home

A woman from Gloucester was left waiting 15 hours for ambulance after falling over and breaking her ankle at home.

Michelle Booy said she was in agony but had to wait while the service dealt with more urgent cases.

She said she was also told by ambulance operators to leave her door unlocked all night while she waited - which left her feeling totally helpless.

In a video she made while waiting, she said: "Fourteen hours hours I’ve been waiting for the ambulance, it’s absolutely disgusting the pain I am in. I can't stand this anymore."

Michelle was taken to the A&E department at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital but had to spend further time waiting in an ambulance.

She said the vehicles were used as makeshift beds - but has nothing but praise for staff, who she said did their under enormous pressures.

"They are awesome, they are amazing, everybody was kind polite even though they’re under pressure they were kind they were polite and courteous," she added.In a statement, South Western Ambulance Service apologised for the delays in Michelle's care.

A service spokesperson said: “We would like to wish Ms Booy well in her recovery.

“We are sorry that some patients are having to wait longer for an ambulance than we would like. This is because of the pressures across the health and care system. 

“We are working closely with NHS partners to address the delays in handing over patients at hospitals, so our crews can get back out on the road for other patients.”

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital also apologised to Michelle.

In a statement, a hospital spokesperson blamed delays on a "combination of high demand, complexity of needs, the number of beds available as a result of Covid-19 measures.

"Delayed transfers of care and staff absence due to Covid means that at times of peak demand, when emergency services are at their busiest, it can pose additional challenges to our dedicated teams," the spokesperson explained.