1 day Ago
On Monday, November 25, Winifred Soanes was left on the cold pavement after falling and breaking her hip in High Street. Accompanied by her husband of 61 years, Andrew, 92, who 'wouldn't leave her side,' several people stayed to help, with nearby businesses pulling together, offering essentials to keep Winifred as comfortable as possible in the 'freezing' weather. David Lovell, who saw the fall, was the first to call for an ambulance, staying with Winifred and Andrew for the five and a half hours.
He said: "I can't describe how cold it was, and as it got dark, the temperature dropped really quickly. "She was lying on the cold pavement, and we couldn't move her because she was in huge amounts of pain." Because of the way she fell, David and the others had to find a way to prop her head up, getting some shoe boxes from stall holders and a pillow from a pub.
Staff at Mountain Warehouse provided sleeping bags, and the charity shops gave blankets and hot water bottles. Jennifer Baylis, who works at the Prama charity shop, helped throughout the day. She said: "I can't tell you how upsetting it was, she actually said, 'I'm going to die here tonight'.
" Jennifer said a number of people attempted to call an ambulance and explained that she was a vulnerable elderly person. However, they were given no time frame and were told she was not a priority. Winifred's husband, Andrew, is diabetic and a veteran, but despite needing to care for his own health, he stayed by her side in the cold.
He said: "The situation was dire, but it's great to know that when they need to, the community all pull together to help." Andrew, who called his wife his 'soul mate', said she was taken to Hospital for treatment and is waiting for specialist operation for her injuries. People who witnessed Winifred's distress criticised the 'broken system', many of whom have called for a reform of how the service is operated.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service said: "We are sorry that we were not able to provide a timely response to this patient. "Any occasion where the care we provide falls below the high standards our patients deserve and rightly expect is unacceptable." The ambulance service said handover delays at emergency departments are a major challenge, affecting ambulance availability.
Adding: "We continue to work hard with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive.".
