Ipswich stroke patient forced to take bus faces housing issue

A stroke patient forced to take a bus to hospital because no ambulances were available might no longer be able to live at home, according to his wife.

Lauren Matthews said her husband Gavin was currently unable to walk and their flat was no longer fit for purpose.

The East of England Ambulance Service apologised after Mr Matthews was twice denied emergency transport due to service pressures.

He is being assessed to determine what his needs are.

The prognosis for Mr Matthews, who remains at Ipswich Hospital, is uncertain, but he has lost the use of his right arm and leg, said his wife.

Mrs Matthews told BBC Radio Suffolk: "They can't say how soon he's going to walk again or even if he will walk again. At the minute it is not looking like he will.

"He's not going to be allowed home until I've moved into a wheelchair accessible property.

"It has just destroyed his life."

Mr Matthews, 45, from Ipswich, fell ill on the afternoon of 16 November and an ambulance was sent, but the couple then received a call say the vehicle had to be diverted.

He and his wife then had to take two buses to get to the hospital on the other side of town because they could not afford the £15 taxi fare.

Mrs Matthews said an A&E doctor saw him and then cleared him to return home after a couple of hours, but the symptoms became worse later that evening.

Once again, an ambulance was cancelled after being initially dispatched, and the couple had to rely on family members to drive Mr Matthews to hospital for the second time.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "When demand on the service is extremely high, we must prioritise those with immediate life-threatening conditions and advise some lower category calls to make their own way to hospital, once reviewed by a clinician."

The couple's flat has steps going down to the entrance and there are also steps inside the property with narrow doorways.

Their housing provider Sanctuary said it had limited properties available in the area with less than 10 which would be suitable, all of which have tenants.

A spokesman said: "We were very sorry to hear the news about Mr Matthews and have already been in contact to discuss what additional support we can provide at this difficult time.

"Given the couple's urgent and specific needs, we have offered advice on how to use the local authority's Gateway to Homechoice letting system, as this will provide them with a wider pool of potential properties from all the housing providers in the area."

A spokeswoman for Ipswich Borough Council said: "Our housing support service works with Ipswich Hospital discharge team if a patient is not able to return home.

"Once an Occupational Therapist has carried out an access assessment, this informs any rehabilitation needs, temporary adaptions of current housing or the need for alternative housing with a referral and support from our housing options team."

Mrs Matthews is now fundraising to try and buy her husband an electric wheelchair.

"He's actually unable to just use crutches or even wheel himself in a wheelchair, so the idea of getting him in an electric wheelchair is to try and give him a little bit of independence back," she said.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]