Hospital denies breathless patient ambulance
THE partner of a man with severe breathing difficulties says she was disgusted after medical staff told him to pay for a taxi to transport him from Bishop Auckland General Hospital to Darlington for a potentially life-saving scan.
Ray Tinkler was admitted to Bishop Auckland on Sunday, April 5, because he couldn’t talk and was struggling to breathe. On Tuesday, April 7, it was decided that he needed to be scanned at Darlington and he was told to either get a friend to take him or book and pay for a taxi as an ambulance wasn’t available for him.
Mr Tinkler’s partner Vicky Cummins said: “It’s absolutely disgusting what happened. He couldn’t breathe, talk or eat and was very upset. He had to write down what happened on a note for my daughter which she gave to a friend who then drove him. It’s unbelievable that he needed this scan yet an ambulance couldn’t be used to take him.” The scan showed that Mr Tinkler had a lump behind his voice box and he underwent an operation on Tuesday. He also had to have a blood transfusion.
A spokesman for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “If a patient needs to travel to an alternative site for treatment this would be discussed on an individual basis. The patient would be assessed and if they were clinically well enough and stable for transport, staff would discuss with the patient and relatives arranging alternative transport to an ambulance.
This can include a private ambulance, taxi or the patient's own transport. The Trust is sorry if Mr Tinkler was unhappy with the arrangements and would like to encourage him to contact the Trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service if he would like to discuss this further."