Widow’s long wait for help hit target

Concerned neighbours played good Samaritans when a 95-year-old widow fell on a path in freezing conditions.

They wrapped Ethel Bradbury in a blanket and brought cushions from their homes to support her while others dialled emergency services.

But later they claimed despite calls for an ambulance a paramedic was sent from Fallowfield to deal with the incident in Greenfield and took more than an hour to get there.

However, a spokeswoman for North West Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 16.19 on this particular incident and from the caller’s information, the call was categorised as requiring a response time of up to one hour. We arrived at 17.05, therefore, our response time was in the target for this type of injury.

“We appreciate waiting for an ambulance can be distressing but NWAS reassures the public that patient care is at the forefront of everything that it does.”

She added: “All 999 calls are categorised in the control rooms to ensure that patients are prioritised on the basis of medical need.”

Mrs Bradbury, who received broken fingers in the fall, is now recovering in a rest home.

Marian Chapman (43), from Dobcross, was visiting her mother who is a family friend of the injured pensioner.

She said: “Some young lads first raised the alarm when they saw Ethel fall. I ran out with cushions and a blanket.

“I also put some cardboard under Ethel’s back to help insulate her from the cold. The ambulance service was contacted four or five times.

“She was in a bad way and very shaken up.”Mrs Chapman, who has three children, added: “The paramedic said that the ambulance service had been busy in Oldham and Ashton.