It was about 3am. It was a clear night the streets were quiet and it was cold. We were in Leyton, London E.10, looking for an address which we believed was a block of flats. Apparently someone had collapsed. We found the building to which we had been sent but couldn't be sure which floor we needed to go to. This particular block had external communal balconies which provided access to the front doors of the flats within.
As my colleague was parking the ambulance I looked up and saw an elderly female apparently locking her front door. She was on the first floor and appeared to be dressed in outdoor clothing. Mindful of the time of day I called out to her asking if it was her address to which we had been called.
She replied saying it was her husband and he was in a bad way. By this time my colleague and I were making our way up the external staircase in her direction. I was a little puzzled as she seemed to be on her way out. I asked her what was wrong and where we could find him. We had now reached her and we were primed for action!
"Oh" she said "He's in Hospital". Well to say I was a little taken aback would have been an understatement.
It would seem that the lady had been contacted by the local hospital informing her that her husband who was an in-patient, was seriously ill and she should come immediately. She then phoned 999 telling ambulance control that her husband was seriously ill and had collapsed but forgot to mention that he was already in Hospital.
Control were updated with this news and ordered us to return. But I couldn't leave the lady standing outside at 3am in the morning in the streets of London knowing that her husband was possibly dying. So in my usual "diplomatic" way suggested to control that as the hospital backed onto the ambulance station, we take the lady with us.
I am happy to say, they saw the light and agreed.
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