'I was in terrible pain' - Cornwall grandmother, 82, waited 14 hours for ambulance

  • Liz Brockhurst tells ITV News how she had to wait for hours for an ambulance to arrive after she dislocated her hip.

An 82-year-old woman from Cornwall had to wait 14 hours for an ambulance in 'terrible pain' after she dislocated her hip at home.

The accident happened in January 2024 when Liz Brockhurst called for an ambulance.

She told ITV News West Country: "I ended up being there from six in the evening to 8.30am when the ambulance eventually arrived.

"It wouldn't have been so bad, but I was in such terrible pain. It was just the waiting and the waiting and the hour after hour after hour worrying and thinking they might be here any minute. And they were not. Thinking they might be here the next hour and then not."When Liz finally arrived at hospital she had to wait another 11 hours in the back of an ambulance. Eventually, she had an operation.

Liz has praised the medics and staff that cared for her but says the system needs to change so that others don't face such long waits.

Liz had to wait in the back of the ambulance when she arrived at the hospital. Credit: ITV News West Country

She said: "I can't emphasise enough how brilliant they all are.

"They were all lovely and they all worked so hard. So I have absolutely nothing to say against the hospital staff of any sort.

"The system is wrong. There's something very, very wrong about having to wait - Not just me, but everybody - having to wait such a long while for any medical treatments."Liz says she is 'petrified' of suffering another injury and having to endure another long wait.

Both South Western Ambulance Service and the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust have apologised for the delays in Liz's treatment.

South West Ambulance Service said they had improved the numbers of hours ambulances are on the road each week.

A spokesperson for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said: "The delays represent pressure not only on the main emergency department but across the entire health and care system.

"We have seen growing demand since the start of this year and throughout the time we were in a system critical incident."

They added that they are offering more care in the community to try and reduce the demand on hospitals.