A WOMAN spent more than an hour on a cold platform station waiting for an ambulance to turn up.

The patient had lost her footing while getting off a train at Aldrington Station, Hove, yesterday afternoon.

A 999 call was made to South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS (SECAmb) trust at about 1.10pm but a crew did not arrive until 2.25pm.

One of two passengers who stayed with the woman, believed to be about 60 years old, said she was horrified at how long it took.

She said: “The woman landed badly on her knee and also banged her head on railings.

“She couldn’t be moved and just had to lie there.

“When I called the ambulance to see how much longer it would be, they asked if I could go to a nearby shop and get some paracetamol.

“I really don’t think it was good enough to leave it so long for a crew to arrive.

“She was in pain and getting colder and was starting to shiver and shake the longer she waited.

“When the ambulance crew arrived they did apologise to her but it was not really acceptable.”

Secamb said the call was classified as a category C, which it aims to answer within 30 minutes.

A spokesman said: “We are always sorry to hear of the concerns raised and when it takes us longer than we would like to respond to calls.

“We would invite those involved to contact us directly so we can look into their concerns.”

Aldrington is an unmanned station but one of the other passengers who helped was a nurse and told the train conductor she would wait until the ambulance arrived.

A Southern spokesperson said: “This was a very unfortunate accident and we hope the lady is recovering well.

“We’d very much like to thank those who assisted the passenger and waited with her until the ambulance arrived.

“Our conductor did all she could in the circumstances and only allowed the train to continue its journey after being assured by the passenger that she did not require any further assistance from us, that an ambulance was on its way, and that the lady was in good hands until the ambulance arrived.”

SECAmb, which provides services in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, has been under intense pressure over waiting times.

One of its main issues is the length of time crews are having to wait in hospital accident and emergency departments to hand patients over.

The longer a crew is waiting in hospital, the longer it takes for them to get back out on the road and be available to respond to calls.

The trust is currently in special measures.