Vincent Cable MP takes up hospital 'horror story'

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Apr 2007

Vincent Cable MP for Twickenham

Vincent Cable MP (Lib Dem MP for Twickenham) has taken up with the London Ambulance Service and the West Middlesex Hospital the case of a local woman, Virginia Lewis, who broke her leg so badly that the bone protruded through the skin but was kept waiting two hours for an ambulance and then discharged from the West Middlesex in plaster but without medication or necessary surgery.

Vincent Cable said:

"Even by the standards of some of the health cases I deal with, this is a real horror story. Mrs Lewis had to crawl to the telephone to dial 999, but she only managed to get an ambulance after two hours and that after a friendly GP chased for her, with no-one ringing to check her condition or explain delays.

"When she got to the West Middlesex she was told she needed an operation but there was no bed, so she was sent home after an emergency plaster was fitted. No-one contacted her for nine days and she was given no medication because the pharmacy was closed. In desperation a GP managed to arrange an emergency operation for her at Kingston. She has now received an apology from the West Middlesex (but not the Ambulance Service) but I am not satisfied that systems are in place to stop this happening again."