A pensioner waited 80 minutes for an ambulance after collapsing in Huddersfield.
And people who rushed to treat the stricken 76-year-old demanded to know what caused the delay. Ambulance chiefs later apologised.
The woman collapsed unconscious at a bus stop in Railway Street, Huddersfield, yesterday afternoon.
A building site worker in Railway Street, who did not want to be named, said: “She looked as though she had fainted and she fell to the floor.
“I saw it happen and immediately got on to the phone to call 999, as did others who were close to her.
“One of the first-aiders on our site in Railway Street came to help and he sat with her, but we had to make several calls to the ambulance control to get help.
“An ambulance finally arrived at 2.30pm, an hour and 20 minutes after we had made the calls. That’s shocking”.
Staff working for Yorkshire Ambulance Service were on a work to rule as part of a continuing dispute over pay and conditions.
A spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise for the delay in responding to the patient who had collapsed in Huddersfield. It has been a very busy afternoon for the emergency ambulance service and we have been doing our best to respond as quickly as possible to patients who need our assistance.
“We would like to reassure members of the public that our main priority continues to be providing a safe, responsive and high quality service to the people of Yorkshire.”
