Mr Cotton had to wait eight hours for the ambulance

After their uncle's long wait, Janet and Derek Elliot made an appeal for elderly patients to be given a higher priority within the NHS.

A decision was taken by a local doctor on Tuesday that Ernest Cotton from North Evington in Leicestershire should return to hospital where he had just undergone a minor operation.

But Mr Elliot says his uncle had a long wait for the doctor - and then for the ambulance service.

Too shaky

"We contacted the doctor at 11 in the morning and I was told it would take three hours before a doctor could attend, but it took 10 hours.

"It was later that a nurse said he should be admitted to the hospital because he was too shaky.

"She put him on the casualty list to be taken to hospital, but wasn't picked up for another eight hours.

"He was getting more and more agitated - and I had to stay with him because he couldn't answer the door to let them in."

Mr Cotton is recovering, but is still very weak, his nephew said.

A statement from the Eastern Leicester Primary Care NHS Trust said it cannot comment on individual cases, but added that it is aware of the situation.

East Midlands Ambulance Service says cases brought to its attention are individually investigated and that it is committed to responding to concerns as promptly as possible.