May 25, 2017 4.46 pm This story is over 82 months old

EMAS apologises after mum takes young son bleeding and in agony to hospital herself

A furious Grantham mum has claimed that she was told there were no ambulances available for her seven-year-old son who had fallen from his bike and needed urgent medical attention. Delly Allen’s son fell from his bike on Moreton Close in Great Gonerby on Tuesday, May 23 at 8pm and landed awkwardly, forcing his elbow…
Delly's son's arm needed to be operated on

A furious Grantham mum has claimed that she was told there were no ambulances available for her seven-year-old son who had fallen from his bike and needed urgent medical attention.

Delly Allen’s son fell from his bike on Moreton Close in Great Gonerby on Tuesday, May 23 at 8pm and landed awkwardly, forcing his elbow to bend in the wrong direction.

This caused the bone to break through the skin.

Delly called 999 immediately and claims she was told she could be “waiting hours” for someone to arrive as there were no ambulances available.

East Midlands Ambulance Service has said that a crew was on its way but Delly informed them that they were making their own way to hospital.

Delly was told no ambulances were available for her son

The worried mum then had to travel to Lincoln County Hospital due to Grantham A&E being closed.

Her son was transferred to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for an emergency operation – where he was taken in an ambulance.

Delly said of Facebook page Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital: “I rang 999 only to be told there were no ambulances available and I could be waiting hours, as he was bleeding and because it was after 6pm and Grantham A & E was closed.

“I had to transport him myself to Lincoln County Hospital. This was an absolute nightmare of a journey, he was in so much pain, and as a panicking mother racing across the county not really paying attention on the road but on my son, I surprised we made it there safely.

“He needed to be transferred to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for an emergency operation, this journey however was made by a blue light ambulance.

“He was supported, made comfortable and given strong pain relief, and I was there to support my son properly.”

‘We did have ambulances on duty in Lincolnshire’

Ben Holdaway, deputy director of operations at EMAS, said: “There were ambulances in the area and a crew were on their way to the child, however as the family informed us they were making their own way to hospital the ambulance crew were made available to respond to the next emergency.

“We are sorry that we were unable to get to the patient sooner and ask the family to contact our Patient Experience team to talk through what happened.”