Opticians staff had to empty elderly man’s catheter bag after he was left stranded for nine hours

‘Heartbroken’ staff at an opticians waited with an elderly man for nine hours after his patient transport didn’t arrive to pick him up.

Employees repeatedly tried to contact transport service provider G4S while they waited in reception with the cancer patient, who is in his 80s.

Staff also emptied the pensioner’s catheter bag after he asked if there was a nurse in the building.

The unnamed man had arrived at the optician in Kings Hill, near West Malling, at about 10.30am on August 6, having been picked up from his home by a G4S crew.

About an hour later, a man named Rich, who works in the same office block as the optician, was taking his break when he noticed the man sitting alone in his wheelchair.

Throughout the day, four staff, including the receptionist, made numerous calls to the patient transport service, only to be told a crew was ‘on their way’.

In desperation, as the building’s closing time approached, which would usually have seen the building being locked up, Rich called the police.

He was transferred to a call handler for Kent’s ambulance service, who told him they would chase G4S.

Rich said: ‘I was fuming, especially when at one point I was told the crew was on a break.

‘At 6.30pm they said they were at Dartford and were coming to us. Then they said they were leaving Maidstone, and would be here at 6.50pm. Seven o’clock came and went – it just didn’t make sense.’

The team eventually arrived at the rented office unit at 8.10pm and were ‘very apologetic’, according to Rich.

Receptionist Mel Kingsmill was with the man throughout his traumatic wait.

She said: ‘It was heartbreaking to see. To treat any human being like this is dreadful, but to treat somebody who can’t fend for themselves and finds it hard to make conversation is unforgivable.

‘He sat hunched in his wheelchair. At one point he asked if there was a nurse in the building because his catheter needed changing.

Thankfully, there was somebody medically trained to lend assistance.

Ms Kingsmill, 33, who has worked on the reception for six years, said it wasn’t the first time people had been left waiting for G4S pick-ups.

She said: ‘It’s happened at least 10 times with waits of more than five to six hours.’

A G4S patient transport services spokesperson said: ‘We sincerely apologize to the patient for the distress and inconvenience caused by the delay to his journey.

‘Our review identified a series of shortcomings on this occasion, and we are taking appropriate action to address these concerns.’

It comes just weeks after a disabled man from Minster, Sheppey, was left stranded in a hospital reception for 19 hours in his electric wheelchair waiting for G4S patient transport.

Kevin Taylor’s appointment was at 1.30pm on July 9, but he wasn’t picked up until 11am the following day. G4S said it was investigating the incident and called the delay ‘unacceptable’.