UPDATE: Ambulance service apologise for leaving Peterborough pensioner lying injured on pavement for three hours

The ambulance service was called a number of times after a man, aged in his 70s, fell, cutting his head and injuring his shoulder at 12.24pm in near Laxton Square in Peterborough yesterday, Thursday March 30.

However, a paramedic did not attended the scene until more than three hours later at 3.34pm, by which point a PCSO had taken the man to hospital in a taxi.

A number of members of the public contacted the Peterborough Telegraph following the incident, shocked at the length of time the pensioner had to wait for medical attention.

This afternoon, Friday March 31, the region’s ambulance service has issued an apology.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust said: “We would like to apologise for the wait the patient experienced and distress caused.

“We received a call at 12.24pm to reports of a man who had fallen near Laxton Square in Northminster. The incident was coded as a serious, but not life-threatening call.

“Unfortunately, due to high demand we not able to dispatch a paramedic in a response car until 3.30pm to assess the man, believed to be in his 70s, for a shoulder injury. However, police had already taken the patient to hospital.

“We strive to provide an excellent service to our patients and we are sorry that on this occasion we haven’t met the high standards we aim for. Our crews and control room colleagues are unfortunately facing considerable pressures, and sheer patient numbers and demand do have an impact on our ability to respond as quickly as people expect us to.

“We would urge the patient or his family to get in touch if they have any further questions or concerns.”