AN elderly man who waited nearly five hours for an ambulance after collapsing at home says he is shaken and disappointed by the response.

Brian Turner, 80, was at home, in Brightlingsea, with his wife, Edith, 79, when he fell in the kitchen doorway.

The two live alone and Mrs Turner, whose health has suffered following mini strokes, called her son Malcolm, 54, for help, but even with 13-year-old grandson, Michael, they were unable to lift him into a chair.

After calling 999 at around 8.40pm, Malcolm was told an ambulance would be on its way, however, they could not confirm when.

Several apology calls later, an ambulance did not arrive until close to 1.20am the following morning to help the pensioner back on his feet.

Malcolm said: “When my son and I came over and called the ambulance I only thought it’d be an hour wait but then an hour-and-a-half later I had a call saying sorry and explaining how busy they were.

“Then on the second call they said he was next on the list but three hours later we were still waiting.

“I ended up becoming quite angry with them on the phone because I didn’t think it was acceptable for a man of 80.

“His breathing was laboured and he was distressed.”

Mr Turner is showing signs of Parkinson’s disease but it is yet to be diagnosed.

Once an ambulance crew arrived Malcolm praised their efficiency but said both his parents were quite distressed.

He said: “Luckily, he wasn’t in pain but as the time went on he did get quite sore.

“They didn’t take him into hospital because there was no known medical reason for the fall and we were told he’d probably be sent home, but I would’ve liked him to be examined.

“Both my parents were shaken up and still are.

“My dad is very weak, so we’ve now put a chair in the room but because he’s unable to get downstairs my mum is having to go up and down for him, so she’s finding it very difficult.”

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is experiencing huge increases in calls, more than 27 per cent year-on-year in some of the counties it serves.

The trust, which covers Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, has recruited almost 800 student paramedics in the last two years.

It says it will not see the benefit of the appointments until they are fully trained.

However, it has faced much higher demand, coupled with an increase in handover delays at acute hospitals.

It has also increased the number of clinicians in its control rooms so it can give advice to patients over the phone.