Man saves rough sleepers life after he choked and hit his head near Northampton church

A Northamptonshire man, who was having coffee with his family, leapt to the aid of a rough sleeper after he collapsed and suffered an epileptic seizure.
Phillip was having a coffee with his wife Jenny, his mum, brother, sister-in-law and his nephew before he rushed to the aid of a rough sleeper who was close to death.Phillip was having a coffee with his wife Jenny, his mum, brother, sister-in-law and his nephew before he rushed to the aid of a rough sleeper who was close to death.
Phillip was having a coffee with his wife Jenny, his mum, brother, sister-in-law and his nephew before he rushed to the aid of a rough sleeper who was close to death.

Bus driver, Phillip Pinfold, 30, of Moulton was having a coffee at All Saints Bistro on Sunday (October 29) with his family to celebrate his nephew, Ralph's birthday when he heard a thud next to the church.

After discovering that a rough sleeper had suffered an epileptic seizure and was beginning to choke, he immediately lifted the man off his back and put him into the recovery position.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: "My brother came down for my nephews birthday, we were meeting up for a coffee actually at All Saints Church. They all got there before us and got a table. Five minutes into it, I heard a massive bang, it was him collapsing and then I looked and I could see his shins and knees shaking. So I quickly got up, he was slumped in the alcove."

In an attempt to keep him warm, Phillip and his brother, David then covered him with a blanket and put a coat under his head to stop him from hitting the pavement before his wife called an ambulance.

"Me and my family managed to sort it but we had to wait 35 minutes before a ambulance arrived because there was no one available, not even a emergency doctor," he adds.

"We got told that someone would ring us to help but no one did and we was left on our own to deal with it. I don't blame the NHS as I believe it is due to the funding cuts.

"If I was not there, he would have died."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mark Gregory, paramedic and general manager for Northamptonshire at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) said: “Every patient is important to us and to ensure we get to the most serious emergencies first, we prioritise patients based on their illness or injury as provided by the caller.

"We received a second 999 call to this patient and were advised that his condition had worsened so the nearest available crew were sent arriving in minutes, as the patient was assessed as being immediately life threatened. I would like to extend my thanks to the member of public who called 999 and took the time to assist the patient during their moment of need.”

EMAS confirmed the first call they received was categorised as a Category 3 - urgent but not life threatening. Around 30 minutes later, the ambulance service received a second call reporting the patient’s condition had got worse - stating he was unconscious - so an ambulance crew was immediately sent and arrived within four minutes.

"On this occasion we were within the time frames permitted for a call of this nature," a spokeswoman for the ambulance service said.