A man with severe disabilities was stuck on the floor for over six hours while he was waiting for an ambulance after a horror fall at home.
David Steele, 62, had tragically suffered more than 120 falls since undergoing neck surgery which left him with life changing injuries in 2009.
He wears a pendant alarm which he is able to use to contact emergency services when this happens – but after falling in December, he was left waiting until 1am for help to arrive, Birmingham Live reports.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said problems with waiting times on the day were due to long hospital handover delays while "the whole of the NHS remains under severe pressure".
Mr Steele occasionally loses feeling in both of his ankles as a result of nerve damage and can fall instantly, unable to get himself back up.
The man called for help at around 6.30pm on December 10 following a fall at his home in Birmingham, but paramedics did not turn up until 12.48am.
Mr Steele, a former school caretaker, said: “I have trouble with the nerves in my ankles and lower back and occasionally they will switch off without warning.
“I lost the feeling in my ankles and lost balance which meant I fell on the floor.
Prince Harry’s life with Meghan is 'a million miles from what he wanted', expert claims
“I used my pendant alarm. They answered me and said ‘were you seriously hurt?’ and I said no. I was waiting until 1am for the ambulance to turn up, which is six-and-a-half hours.
“Luckily I could reach my urine bottle, otherwise I would have peed myself to the tune of one litre, which is what I did in the bottle while waiting.
“I am so terrified of falling because I don’t know when I am going to fall, and I don’t know when I am going to get help.
“Because of being left so long, I got in my head that nobody cared and nobody was coming and started having panic attacks.”
"I don’t know how female fallers manage when men can easily pee in a container to hand rather than pee themselves and the floor while waiting for help."
Source: Read Full Article
