An elderly man was left waiting in the road for an ambulance for three hours as he was not deemed a priority.
North West Ambulance Service were called to Copy Lane in Netherton shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, March 15 - but an ambulance didn't arrive until 8.05pm. A spokesperson for the ambulance service told the ECHO it always has to "prioritise the most life-threatening conditions and injuries".
The elderly man had fallen into the road but because of his injuries could not be moved. Officers from Merseyside Police had to temporarily close the road during rush hour and divert traffic because of the incident.
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A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told the ECHO officers were called at around 5.10pm and diverted traffic until the ambulance arrived. They added: "The man was treated for any injuries at the scene and was later taken to hospital for treatment".
Residents were made aware of the incident following a post in the Netherton Community Facebook group. Speaking about how long the elderly patient had to wait for the ambulance, one person said: "Disgusting someone has to lie in the road for so long."
Another person said: "That's just not right being on the floor for that amount of time. Disgraceful the length of time people are having to wait now for ambulances."
A third person said the man was in "good spirits when they passed him". They said: "He's covered up and has hot water bottles off the lovely ladies in the houses by him. He's in good spirits, laughing with the police. Ambulance taking ages though, he's not classed as a priority."
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson told the ECHO : “We must always prioritise the most life-threatening conditions and injuries. This can mean during busy periods some patients wait longer than we would like.
“Unfortunately, this was the case at the time of the call. We understand waiting for an ambulance can be an anxious and uncomfortable time, and we hope the patient makes a swift and full recovery. If they would like us to look into the incident further, the patient can contact our patient safety team.”
