Sheffield mum feels 'let down' over 20 minute wait for ambulance after daughter hurt in serious crash

The mum-of-two girls - who doesn’t want to be named - says she has been left traumatised by the experience, which happened after she was involved in the collision in Shiregreen.

The three-car crash took place on Nethershire Lane on December 17, when a driver collided with her car before sending them into a third, leaving all three vehicles severely damaged.

The force of the impact immediately knocked her eldest daughter out and - while she came round shortly afterwards - the woman says she was still unresponsive and clearly unwell.

However, after waiting for more than 20 minutes for an ambulance, in the end she had to be driven to Sheffield Children’s Hospital by the children’s father.

She said: “It was horrible. I can’t believe they didn’t come out for a little girl who had been knocked out.

“I am a mum and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. We were completely let down by the service.”

After being driven to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, both the woman’s daughters were checked out by doctors while she walked round to the minor injuries unit at the Royal Hallamshire.

Fortunately, all three were discharged the same day, but the experience has still left them all feeling traumatised, the woman said.

“I don’t even like speaking about it or thinking about it now,” she added.

The first two questions ambulance 999 staff ask are always about a patient’s consciousness and breathing, and these cases are given the highest priority.

In life-threatening situations, ambulances are meant to arrive within seven minutes, while in an emergency situation they have a target of 18 minutes.

Life-threatening situations include heart attacks and loss of consciousness, while emergency situations include fitting and strokes.

Jackie Cole, Head of A&E Operations for South Yorkshire at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “We would encourage the patient’s family to contact our patient relations department on 0333 130 0549 to discuss any concerns they may have relating to this incident.”