Man fakes need for ambulance to get free ride to hospital to visit friend

A man in Manchester faked mobility issues to get a free ambulance ride to hospital, a local emergency medical technician has alleged, prompting many to call for legal action.

Shaun Gerrard, the official for the North West Ambulance Service, relayed the story on Twitter on Wednesday (21 February). According to Gerrard, who works in the Greater Manchester Area, the incident occurred on the night of Tuesday.

"A patient rang for an ambulance last night as he had reduced sensation in his legs and mobility was poor," Gerrard wrote. "We took him to hospital for him to then get up and walk off on arrival.

"He admitted he faked the whole lot just to get a lift to hospital to see his friend!" Gerrard claimed.

Social media users were incensed at the story, with one saying: "If I was the ambulance man, he'd have needed A&E after telling me that!"

One user claiming to be a police officer said that the man could be guilty of 'culpable and reckless conduct'. Many others said the man should have been billed for the time wasted.

Another person saying they were an ambulance worker based in Blackpool alleged that they had had another person booking ambulances only to find out they were using it to "get their hair done at the hospital hairdressers!"

Contacted by IBTimes UK, North West Ambulance Service confirmed that Gerrard is an official representative for the service.