Family's fury as great-grandmother, 86, is forced to share an ambulance with a stray LABRADOR after the crew pulled over to pick it up on the way to hospital
- Brenda Wilding was being rushed to hospital when a crew member spotted the dog
- The great-grandmother had been vomiting from a severe gallbladder condition
- A paramedic had to stop the 'hyper' dog from leaping onto her during the ride
- The NHS has since apologised and the dog has been reunited with its owner
Brenda Wilding, 86, was made to share her ambulance with a dog
The NHS has apologised to a great-grandmother made to share her ambulance with a dog.
Paramedics taking 86-year-old great Brenda Wilding to hospital pulled over to rescue the ‘cold wet’ labrador from the side of the road.
The journey then continued with Mrs Wilding vomiting from a severe gallbladder condition while a paramedic tried to stop the ‘hyper’ dog from leaping on her.
The pensioner had dialled 999 from her home in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, on November 12 after doubling over with pain.
But when the ambulance was taking her along the A10 to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, it suddenly pulled over.
She said: ‘I couldn’t see much of what was going on but I couldn’t understand what was taking so long. I was left in the ambulance and could hear people talking about a dog.
‘The next thing I knew the paramedic who had been riding in the back of the ambulance with me appeared with a black labrador and asked if I minded if the dog came too.
‘I was completely baffled. It’s not what you expect in a medical environment, but I agreed. All I wanted to do was get to hospital.’
The paramedics continued the journey to Addenbrooke’s and Mrs Wilding claims the dog ‘was hyper’ and tried to jump at her while she lay in the back.
She said: ‘The paramedic put a whiteboard between me and the dog and held the labrador away so it couldn’t get at me. I had no idea what was going on.’
In their account of events, the paramedics stated the dog was ‘friendly, non-aggressive and quite clearly cold, wet and distressed’ when they discovered it.
Her granddaughter Justine Butcher, 46, a medically-retired NHS nurse, couldn't believe what she had heard
They claimed the grandmother of four had ‘smiled’ when she saw the dog and that she ‘had an interest in dogs, something that was quite prominent given the number of dog ornaments in her property’.
They had also concluded the pensioner’s condition was ‘not time-critical’.
Mrs Wilding was dropped at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and discharged three days later - but her family are furious at the incident.
Her granddaughter Justine Butcher, 46, a medically-retired NHS nurse, also of Littleport, said: ‘Nan told me she’d shared an ambulance with a wet dog and at first we thought she must have got confused.
‘But she kept saying it over and over so I contacted East of England Ambulance Service to demand an investigation.
‘My nan might like dog ornaments but that doesn’t mean she wants to share an ambulance with a live one when she’s sick and vulnerable. She could have gotten seriously infected.
‘She was vomiting in the ambulance and the paramedic had one hand on the dog trying to keep it from jumping at her. To me, that is not sanitary. Nan was vulnerable and in their care - she should have been their top priority.
‘It infuriates me that the NHS have said there’s a shortage of ambulances and paramedics, but these two found the time and resources to stop for a dog.’
The dog was found cold and wet on the side of the road, and was later reunited with its owner (file image)
In a letter of apology, Dr Tom Davis of East of England Ambulance Service Trust said the paramedics understood their actions ‘were not compliant with Trust guidelines’. He said one of the crew members had asked if it was ok for the dog to come into the warmth, whilst they made some phone calls to get it help, and said the patient had accepted.
Dr Davis said the dog was later reunited with its owner.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: ‘We would like to apologise to Brenda and her family for any distress and inconvenience caused.
‘The incident has been investigated and the staff involved understand that their actions were against Trust guidelines and now understand there is no legal responsibility to stop for a domestic dog, even if it is in danger.’
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