A FORMER ambulance driver who accidentally cut off part of his thumb with a saw has blasted the region's 999 service for not taking him to hospital.
But East Midlands Ambulance Service bosses have insisted they did everything right in the case of Russell Holmes – and said it was their "responsibility to use resources wisely".
Mr Holmes, 69, said there was "blood everywhere" after the circular saw ripped off his thumb down to the nail while he was working in the garden at his Mickleover home.
He said he put the amputated part on ice and phoned 999 – but said he was shocked when he was told he needed a telephone assessment and not an ambulance.
In the end, Mr Holmes' wife Jacqueline took him to hospital instead, where he said medics confirmed he had fractured his thumb and damaged a blood vessel.
Mr Holmes, of Moorland Road, said medics at Royal Derby Hospital had to repeatedly dress the thumb because it kept bleeding.
The former Mickleover ambulance station worker said: "I found it totally unacceptable.
"I understand it's a difficult time for the NHS and they get a lot of time-wasters but there's something wrong with a system where you can't get an ambulance in a situation like that.
"As an ambulance driver about 40 years ago for around 10 years, I know not to call unless I thought it was a genuine emergency.
"So, to phone 999 for the first time and have such a terrible experience really beggars belief."
Mr Holmes said he had been working on a table when part of it broke off and knocked the saw into his hand.
He said: "It really is panic stations when you are losing that amount of blood – not to mention the shock and the feeling of going light-headed.
"I'm convinced that, if I'd been left in the house for any length of time, I'd have collapsed and bled out.
"My wife wasn't actually home when the incident happened or when I made the call. It was only because she came home that she was able to take me to the hospital.
"It was after we left when the ambulance service rang back and my daughter told them we'd already gone.
"It was appalling and left me very frustrated."
Mr Holmes said the part of his thumb which had been amputated was x-rayed but it was decided it was "too badly mashed" to sew it back on.
Since the incident, Mr Holmes has been back to the hospital several times for appointments and treatment and will continue to go over the coming weeks.
He said his thumb was a "ragged and horrible mess".
The ambulance service said Mr Holmes called 999 and said he had cut the tip of his thumb off – but told them he was breathing normally and "did not report a severe bleed".
They said Mr Holmes' call was "correctly coded" as not an emergency and requiring a telephone assessment within 60 minutes and, when they told him this, he hung up.
Steve Bonser, assistant director of operations at Emas, said: "I am sorry Mr Holmes was disappointed he would not get an emergency response – it is our responsibility to use our resources wisely.
"Our emergency medical dispatcher fully assessed the call and Mr Holmes was deemed to not be in a life-threatening or serious condition. His wife transported him to hospital.
"This meant we could continue to use our emergency vehicles, with life-saving equipment and highly-skilled clinicians on board, to respond to people whose life was at immediate risk."
Determining the severity of an injury EAST Midlands Ambulance Service said that, when someone rings 999 for help, they are asked a series of questions so staff can determine the "severity of the illness or injury''.A spokeswoman said all calls were categorised to determine the right level of response needed. These are: Red One and Two calls, which are immediately life-threatening – such as cardiac arrest or catastrophic bleed – and require a response within eight minutes.
"Green One" calls are serious clinical need – such as breathing problems and road traffic collisions – which require a response within 20 minutes.
"Green Two" calls are less serious clinical need – including a fall or haemorrhage – which require a 30-minute response.
"Green Three and Four" calls are not an emergency – such as being sick, unwell or having abdominal pain – and require a telephone assessment to be made within 60 minutes. They said, during this, the patient would be referred to the most appropriate source of help, such as a GP, district nurse, walk-in centre or pharmacy.
