LEADER of Forest of Dean District Council Tim Gwilliam has called for more funding for the NHS after a boy who was injured at a football match had to wait nearly three hours for an ambulance to arrive.

Cllr Gwilliam, who represents Berry Hill ward on the council, was watching the match at English Bicknor Football Club last Thursday (May 12) when a 12-year-old boy broke his ankle in the first minute of the game.

The boy, who could not be moved due to his injury, was “cold and shivering” on the ground by the time the ambulance arrived several hours later.

Cllr Gwilliam said that those concerned were “not blaming anybody” but wanted an explanation as to why it took so long for the ambulance to get there.

“A lad in my boy’s football team broke his ankle one minute into the game that kicked off at 6.30pm this evening,” he wrote on Twitter last Thursday.

“The game was stopped and an ambulance called. That 12-year-old is still lying on the ground at English Bicknor Football Club at 9.45pm.

“Someone, give the NHS the money it needs.”

Cllr Gwilliam praised the care provided by the ambulance crew but wants to know why it took so long for them to arrive.

“Everyone says they were great when they got there but it still took them three and a half hours to get there”, he said.

“He was in a bit of pain. He’s a brave lad but unfortunately, he was getting cold and shivering.

“The thing is they couldn’t move him.

“We’re not blaming anybody we just want to know why it takes so long.”

The ambulance service has a history of struggling to meet response targets in the Forest of Dean.

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said that the service was called at 6.31pm, but the ambulance did not arrive until 9.29pm.

They explained that the service has to manage high demand and “prioritise the patients who are most in need of emergency care”.

“We work extremely hard to manage the high demand on our service and the finite supply of resources we have,” the spokesperson said.

“Although all of our patients are important to us, we must prioritise patients who are most of need of emergency care, such as those who are unconscious, not breathing or bleeding heavily.

“Sometimes this means it takes take us longer than we would like to reach other patients.

“We ask people only to call 999 for an ambulance in a medical emergency when someone is seriously injured or ill, and their life is at risk.

“We encourage people to contact NHS 111 about non-life threatening but urgent medical problems.”