A MOTHER has spoken out against cuts to frontline NHS services after a fall left her waiting with broken bones and a bleeding head for an ambulance that never came.

Karla Bishop-Loach, 42, tripped and fell outside her Brompton home whilst carrying a bucket of water for cleaning her rabbits out on Sunday evening.

As blood from a head wound dripped into her eyes, her two young daughters, Izobel, 11, and Shae, 15 sprang into action and called 999 as their father Steve was out of the county at the time.

Shae was told by the call handler not to move her mother due to possible spinal injury and Izobel waited at the front door for the ambulance to arrive.

More than an hour passed and still there was no ambulance.

When Shae re-dialled the emergency services she was told that they were too busy and too short-staffed to send paramedics and they would have to make their own way to hospital.

Shae was then talked through carrying out vital spinal checks so that Karla could be moved and driven to The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton by a friend.

Once there Karla was found to be suffering from a broken shoulder, broken cheekbone and a gash to her forehead.

She said that she did not blame NHS staff whose care when she finally arrived at hospital “was fantastic” but said it was further evidence of a service that was suffering from underfunding.

She said: “My shoulder was broken, I was lay on a concrete floor in dirty rabbit water for over an hour and the girls were getting stressed thinking I had a brain haemorrhage or something because blood was getting in my eyes.

“They never told her (Shae) to wrap me up or anything, or asked if I had any medical conditions – which I do because I have diabetes.

“Shae has a friend whose mum is a nurse and she told her what to do – we’ve since been round and taken flowers to her.”

Karla said that she was “lucky” that her injuries were not life-threatening but questioned why the call handler did not tell Shae from the start that no ambulance was being sent.

“I wouldn’t want to take an ambulance away from someone else in more need,” she said.

“But they should have said that from the start or called back to let us know.”

Richmondshire District Councillor John Blackie was shocked at the incident and although he praised Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) staff for doing “an absolutely first class job”, he said they were being let down by cutbacks.

Mark Inman, Sector Commander (North Yorkshire) at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “Our Patient Relations Team has attempted to contact the family to discuss Sunday’s incident with them directly.

"We would welcome the opportunity to speak with them and respond to the concerns they have raised and ask that they come back to us via our Patient Relations Team on 0345 122 0535.

“Whilst we are not able to discuss the details of this particular incident, we can assure members of the public that we follow specific protocols to ensure an appropriate response is provided to all patients.”