 Ellen Scarsbrook said she feels let down by the service |
Oxfordshire's ambulance service has been heavily criticised after it emerged an elderly woman was driven to hospital by a doctor's receptionist when an ambulance failed to arrive. Ellen Scarsbrook, 78, broke her arm when she slipped on some ice in Chipping Norton on Wednesday, and passers-by took her to a nearby doctor's surgery to wait for an ambulance.
Two hours later when the ambulance had still not arrived the surgery's receptionist took her to Banbury Hospital's accident and emergency in her own car.
Ambulance managers admit they are failing to cope with a recent rise in 999 calls.
'Limited resources'
Mrs Scarsbrook said: "I never call for ambulances, I don't worry them.
"When you want them at a time like this they're not there."
Damian Jolly, Director of Operations at Oxfordshire Ambulance Service admitted that over the last two months they had not been meeting the government target of attending all 999 calls within eight minutes.
"I make no bones about it, I'm quite open and honest - we are stretched," he said.
"We have a limited amount of resources and there's been no additional funding this year for the ambulance service - it makes it very difficult and demanding for all staff within the OAS."
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