Man waited for ambulance for more than 14 hours after falling down stairs in Lanarkshire home

A man and his wife were left waiting for an ambulance for more than 14 hours after he fell down the stairs in their Lanarkshire home.

Mrs McCourt found her husband unconscious on the floor in their Carluke house at around 8.30pm on November 24.

The woman phoned 999 and asked for an ambulance. Two hours later she phoned for a second time, as her husband still lay on the floor.

Mrs McCourt phoned the ambulance service four times during the ordeal. Eventually, an ambulance arrived at the house just after 11am the following morning.

The couple had waited over 14 hours for medical crews to arrive at the scene.

Mr McCourt was transported to Wishaw’s General Hospital where the couple waited in A&E for a further five hours.

They left the hospital without being seen, however, the injured man was later diagnosed with a concussion at University Hospital Wishaw.

Mrs McCourt told STV News that she wouldn’t phone the ambulance service again if an emergency took place and that they “would just suffer”.

She said: “We’re frightened that we are going to die before we are ready.

“After a trauma fall like that, he should have been X-rayed immediately. It is ridiculous and unfair that we had to wait that long.

“I was told multiple times that an ambulance was coming but it only arrived the day after I found my husband.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service has issued an apology to the couple for the “distress caused” by the long wait.

They stated that ambulance crews were “under significant pressure” due to high demand and amid “hospital handover delays”.

The service has committed to contacting Mrs McCourt to discuss the concerns raised.

A spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to Mr and Mrs McCourt for the delay in the ambulance response and for any distress caused.

“Our service was under significant pressure on November 24 due to high demand and hospital handover delays at University Hospital Wishaw, which averaged around two hours at the time of call and increased to four and a half hours by 10pm.

“We have been working closely with NHS Lanarkshire to support the longest waiting patients but understand the distress to patients caused. These waits also prevent our crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients.

“Mrs McCourt has contacted our Patient Experience Team and we will liaise with her to personally discuss her concerns about our response.”