By Dan Townend
The Express
Cambridge, England — A pensioner who had to wait 90 minutes for an ambulance was stunned when he had to give directions to the hospital.
Grandfather-of-five Ian Taylor called 999 after a fall at his home in Cambridge left him with blood pouring from a head cut.
But an ambulance was sent from 70 miles away in Canvey Island. When medics did arrive, they got lost in the dark driving to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Mr Taylor a retired architect, who some years before had suffered a stroke, said: “I had collapsed in the early hours of Friday, hit my head and was unconscious for hours in a pool of blood.
“The doctor that morning stopped the bleeding. But in the evening I found I was bleeding profusely again.” On the way to hospital, Mr Taylor came to the rescue of the confused medics when he recognised a pub.
East of England Ambulance Service has apologised, saying both navigation systems on the vehicle were not working.
Spokesman Gary Sanderson said the call was coded “not life-threatening” and added: “We do our very best to get to patients within the appropriate time frame, but sometimes this is a challenge if we’re very busy with more serious cases.”
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