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AGONY: Doris Ryan lies on her living room floor being comforted by daughter Maryann Mabe while she waits for the ambulance to arrive

THIS is former hospital worker Doris Ryan waiting in pain for an ambulance after she broke her hip and shoulder in a fall.

Ms Ryan, 83, fell over in her living room on Monday while grandson Kyle Mabe, 21, visited his girlfriend across the road - and waited almost an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

Mr Mabe, who lives with Ms Ryan in Monnow Way, Bettws, Newport, and is her full time carer, called for an ambulance at 6.56pm - but it did not arrive until after 7.50pm.

He and his mother Maryanne Mabe looked after Ms Ryan as she lay on the floor. Our photographer captured this image of her as she waited.

He said: "I left home about 6.15pm to see my girlfriend who is having a baby.

"I was there for twenty to thirty minutes when our neighbour's son banged the door to say my nan was on the floor of the house."

He said after the initial call the ambulance service called at 7.25pm to say there was a 20 minute delay, and that the ambulance would be there within 20 minutes.

He said service personnel said there was a delay in reaching Ms Ryan.

ONE HOUR ON: The ambulance arrives

"I think its appalling," he said. "She used to work in the Royal Gwent herself. She was a domestic cleaner there for forty years."

He said she was complaining of pain in her legs, and added that Ms Ryan had fallen three to four years earlier in John Frost Square, Newport and had to have a hip operation.

Mr Mabe said his grandmother had to have an operation on her hip and would probably be in hospital for more than ten days.

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We are unable to comment openly on individual cases, however the trust would like to apologise to the patient for any distress that may have been caused."

He added the trust would investigate the incident and review any issues that may arise.

12:07pm Thursday 17th July 2008

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