'My 89-year-old mum waited 14 hours for ambulance'

The son of an 89-year-old woman has described being left "fuming" after she had to wait 14 hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Vera Lake fell at her home in Poole, Dorset, at about 23:00 GMT on Monday and was found on the floor by her 91-year-old husband.

Her son, Paul Lake, said an ambulance was called almost straight away but did not arrive until about 13:00 the next day.

South Western Ambulance Service said the delay was "unacceptable" and apologised for the delay.

Mrs Lake escaped with bruises and was discharged from hospital on Wednesday night.

"My dad is hard of hearing and was in bed when he looked over and obviously mum wasn't there, so he's got up and looked down the corridor and there she is on the floor," Mr Lake told BBC Radio Solent.

His father, who Mr Lake said was "panicking", pressed the emergency button in their property, leading to an ambulance being called.

Mr Lake, who lives in Jersey, said he felt like there was nothing he could do when he took a call from his distressed father.

"Then, just after 7am, my dad called me in bits, he's in tears because [the ambulance] still hadn't arrived," he said.

"I was fuming so I phoned the emergency people up and asked what was going on."

About two hours later, a carer for the couple entered the property and made Mrs Lake "comfortable".

It was not until 13:00 - about 14 hours after first being contacted - that an ambulance arrived.

Mr Lake said: "Being that age, you would feel she was a priority [for the ambulance service]."

He praised the "fantastic" treatment she received from paramedics and staff at Poole Hospital.

"But it was just that waiting time where you just don't know what's actually wrong - it just made me so upset," Mr Lake added.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said it was "sorry" it was "unable to provide a timely response".

"Any occasion where the care we provide falls below the high standards our patients deserve and rightly expect is unacceptable," they said.

The spokesperson highlighted handover delays at A&E departments as one of the trusts "biggest challenges".

"We are working with our partners in the NHS and social care to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive,” the spokesperson added.

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