ANGRY relatives of an 89-year-old Kidderminster man who fell down at his flat have hit out at the three-hour wait for an ambulance.

Dawn Shepherd, of Franche Road, said her brother-in-law Bill was forced to lie for on the floor, wrapped in a blanket, until a paramedic crew arrived to take him to hospital.

Mr Shepherd, who lives at warden-supervised flats in Lucy Edwards Court, 30 yards from Kidderminster Hospital, was taken to Ronkswood Hospital in Worcester.

She said: "I'm not saying he could have died, but I do feel for him to have to wait up to three hours for an ambulance and then to have to travel all the way to Worcester is horrendous. My husband, Jim, visits him every day and it's a long way to have to go."

The alert was sparked when Mr Shepherd found himself unable to stand without help at 8.15pm on a Wednesday last month. A warden called a doctor from Kidderminster Hospital's primary care unit but in the meantime, Mr Shepherd collapsed.

The GP eventually arrived at his home at 9.40pm and said she thought Mr Shepherd, who is deaf and blind in one eye, should go to hospital.

However, at 11.30pm, the warden was still with him as he lay on the floor of his flat, in a blanket, waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Mrs Shepherd said her brother-in-law was now back home, adding: "We didn't ask if he could go to Kidderminster but it was never offered."

She added she had subsequently asked if her brother-in-law could be transferred to Kidderminster but was told there were no beds available.

A spokesman for Hereforshire and Worcestershire Ambulance Service said it had been asked by the GP to get Mr Shepherd to hospital within two hours.

Crews were twice assigned to the case but were diverted to 999 calls each time.

Mr Shepherd arrived at hospital at 1.06am, he added.