AN AMPUTEE who feared he was about to slip into a diabetic coma waited eight-and-a-half hours for the right ambulance after a series of mishaps by medical bosses.

Frank Ridley, 68, dialled 111 when he realised his temperature and sugar levels were off the scale.

But instead of being taken straight to hospital, Mr Ridley experienced what he described as a "fiasco" as he waited through the night for the correct transport to arrive.

Ambulance chiefs have since apologised to the widower, who lives in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, but he has decided to speak out in a bid to prevent others going through the same experience.

"I was seriously at risk for all of those eight-and-a-half hours and in a way I'm lucky to be alive," said Mr Ridley. "I would blame myself if the same thing happened again and somebody died."

On July 19, Mr Ridley felt ill and became increasingly worried when he recorded his blood sugar level as above 32 - the recommended reading being seven - and his temperature at almost 40 degrees.

Shaking and sweating, at 9pm he called to request an ambulance that could transport him in his wheelchair.

At midnight with no sign of one, the distressed patient rang the service again and was assured an ambulance would be with him as soon as possible.

He made the same call again at 2am and around one hour later an emergency ambulance turned up, but he was unable to get on board.

At 4.30am an adapted ambulance arrived but the sole female driver was unable to carry him onto it.

When further assistance came at 5am Mr Ridley was carried to the ambulance and taken to hospital in Darlington where he was admitted at 5.30am.

Suffering from a urine infection and pneumonia, he was kept in hospital for nine days.

"My concern is I could have died," said Mr Ridley, who added his previous experience of the NHS had been "fantastic".

A former headteacher at Sugar Hill Primary School, in Newton Aycliffe, Mr Ridley has suffered from diabetes for more than 20 years and has six doses of insulin a day.

In June, he was forced to have his right leg amputated below the knee following two-and-half years of battling the disease's effects on his foot.

Mr Ridley's neighbour Janice McWilliams, who came to his aid on the night, is now writing to health chiefs and Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman to raise her concerns.

She said: "I was embarrassed as a retired nurse of more than 36 years. I was particularly angry because Frank's situation could have been equally as bad as somebody else's because diabetes can kill. If he had been alone in bed (and slipped into a coma) he wouldn't have woken up."

A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service said: “Mr Ridley waited far longer than we would have wanted for an ambulance and we would like to apologise to him for this.

"At the time of his call we were dealing with a number of emergency calls in the Bishop Auckland area, many of which were classified as being potentially life-threatening.

"If Mr Ridley would like to contact us directly, we would be more than happy to investigate this further for him.”

The spokesperson added Mr Ridley's call was transferred to 999 where it was then monitored by clinicians.

TIMELINE

9pm - Feeling ill Mr Ridley rings 111 for an ambulance

12am - Mr Ridley rings to check on arrival time of ambulance

2am - Operator assures Mr Ridley again that an ambulance is on its way

3am - Wrong type of ambulance turns up

4.30am - Right ambulance arrives but with only one member of staff

5am - Driver from another ambulance comes to assist Mr Ridley into vehicle

5.30am - Mr Ridley arrives at Darlington Memorial Hospital