Obese man says ambulance crew dropped him from his wheelchair leaving him like a 'beached whale'
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A 23st man says he was dropped by an ambulance crew and left like a 'beached whale' on the floor.
Robert Wiley, 62, said he tumbled from his wheelchair while being lifted from his home by NHS contractors sent out to take him to a hospital appointment.
He fears he would have lain there for hours if his son had not been there to help, and later wasn't able to sleep due to pain caused by the tumble.
He said: "I remember going over the first threshold sitting up nicely, and the next thing I'm feeling myself dropping back and I'm suddenly on the floor.
"The pain from the fall didn't start for about an hour after, but why didn't they think to get me through casualty for a check up?
(Photo: Plymouth Herald)
"They apologised at the time, but if my son wasn't there to help me back on to the wheelchair, I would still be down there on the floor like a beached whale."
Robert, from Saltash, Cornwall, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bladder cancer, was being transferred to nearby Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Devon, when he says he was dropped on February 9.
He has lodged a formal complaint with E-zec Medical Transport Services, which provides ambulances for the NHS and private firms, after claiming the pain left him unable to sleep, reports the Plymouth Herald .
A spokesman for the firm said the company was 'investigating the incident'.
(Photo: Plymouth Herald)
Former van and coach driver Robert says he fears being dropped again and is also concerned for other patients' safety.
He added: "They brought in a wheelchair for obese people, got me on and strapped me to it.
"After I was dropped not one of them asked questions about how I was; they just carried on as usual and got me in the ambulance.
"It never should have happened in the first place, but I'm worried it could happen again.
(Photo: Plymouth Herald)
"I've only recently been diagnosed with cancer, and now I have these further injuries to worry about.
"It's just all happening at once."
He was due to go in for surgery for his bladder cancer the following day, but has been told he is too overweight for the operation to go ahead.
Robert says while he is waiting to hear back from the hospital, he is focusing on resting and recovering from the fall.
He added: "I want E-Zec to investigate properly and to make sure it is safer in the future.
(Photo: Plymouth Herald)
"I don't want other patients to get hurt. It doesn't put trust in me to trust the service."
The father said he had always received a 'perfect' service when dealt with directly by South Western Ambulance Service.
An E-zec spokesman said: "We were using a third party provider on that day, as we bring in other private ambulance companies from time to time if the demand is a little bit higher.
"However, as we approved this third party provider as the contractor, we are investigating the incident. We are just waiting for further information, including the incident reports."