Hastings man’s anger after ambulance fails to come after fall

A Hastings man has criticised the ambulance service for not sending paramedics to help him after suffering a fall.
Michael SmithMichael Smith
Michael Smith

Michael Smith, 60, fainted after attending a meeting at the Concordia Hall, in St Leonards, on Friday evening.

He said he remembers feeling nauseous before the room started spinning.

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The next thing he remembered was waking up with a crowd around him.

A bystander called for an ambulance but was told he would not be receiving an immediate ambulance response due to the increased demand at that time.

A spokesman for the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) said a call-handler may ask if a patient can make alternative arrangements to attend hospital.

Mr Smith said he was not pleased with the way he was treated.

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He said: “Apparently because I had no chest pain, I didn’t warrant an attendance. The excuse being that they were ‘too busy’.

“I was taken home by another member of the meeting where I was faced with three flights of steps to my street door, and six, yes six, flights of internal stairs to the front door of my third floor flat.

“Thank you SECAmb, yes, I now do have chest pain, am feeling more nauseas than ever, and still very sweaty.”

A spokesman for SECAmb said the service was sorry that Mr Smith was unhappy with his experience.

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They added: “We take all concerns raised seriously and having been contacted by Mr Smith on social media we have recently invited him to contact our Patient Experience Team so we can look into his concerns in more detail.

“All our calls are prioritised using information provided by the caller. Not all calls will receive an immediate ambulance response and at times of increased demand in particular, we may ask whether a patient is able to make alternative arrangements to attend hospital. According to our records this was agreed with a friend of Mr Smith at the scene.

“We are very sorry that Mr Smith is unhappy with his experience and would urge him to contact us so that we can investigate further.”

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Vehicle pursued through Hastings and St Leonards collides with pedestrian