ON THURSDAY, January 21 I noticed through my kitchen window that a woman had fallen and a car had pulled in to help her.

It was a bitterly cold day with strong, gusty winds and frequent showers. My wife went out and took a chair out to the scene.

We recognised the woman as a close neighbour. Between us we we lifted her on to the chair though this caused her much pain initially.

She is 90 years old but fit and active and said her leg felt too weak and sore to stand on. We immediately phoned 999 for emergency ambulance aid.

The rain began to come down continuously and we phoned back four times to enquire about the delay.

Two of her sons joined us on the scene and attempted to lift the chair and carry their mother to her nearby house five doors away.

But this proved impossible because it caused her too much pain when they lifted.

After waiting one-and-a-half hours in near-freezing temperatures and strong, windy showers, the ambulance finally arrived.

At the hospital, several ambulances were parked outside unattended. Apparently they can't go to emergencies until the driver has gone through a procedure to book in his latest drop off.

This cuts down on queues at A&E and the back of the queue becomes in this case the side of the road exposed to the elements.

I do not claim to know all the details of the hospital procedures, but a one-and-a-half-hour call-out delay to attend an emergency involving a 90-year-old seems to spell out a system not fit for purpose.

She remains remains in hospital with a broken knee.

JF (via email)