3:47pm UK, Sunday November 01, 2009 Michelle May, North of England correspondent
An elderly kidney patient was locked in the back of an ambulance for five hours after the driver forgot about him and clocked off duty.
The 65-year-old man was trapped at Sharston ambulance station in Manchester from 7.15pm on Tuesday until 1am the following day.
Staff at the patient's care home contacted police after he failed to return from a regular hospital appointment in a non-emergency ambulance.
It is thought the driver forgot about the man after dropping off three other patients.
Ambulance bosses have apologised in person to the man and his family.
"A member of staff has been suspended with immediate effect and the Trust has commenced a full investigation," said Darren Hurrell, chief executive of the North West Ambulance Service.
"We have met with the patient and family to discuss the matter with them in greater detail and will continue to liaise closely with them throughout this process.
"All possible steps will be taken to ensure that this never happens again."
An ambulance service source said the driver was a man with a good record who was usually very reliable.
The source said: "We went to visit the patient and his family the next day and both said they didn't want publicity, they didn't want a fuss. He has been extremely gracious."
The patient was unharmed but was taken to hospital for medical checks as a precaution.
>In the USA, he would have been dumped on skid row in a hospital gown.
But AFTER being treated..not before.
"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."
>> >In the USA, he would have been dumped on skid row in a hospital gown.
>> But AFTER being treated..not before.
>Treated? Never happen. Patched up just enough to dump.
Not in California. He would have been fully treated. Then dumped.
But hey..its your fantasy world..believe what you wish.
Gunner
"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."
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