A DISABLED six-year-old taken ill with what was believed could be meningitis waited almost two hours for an ambulance that never came.

In great pain, little Kirsty Mitchell eventually arrived at Margate's Queen Elizabeth hospital in the back of her neighbour's car at 10.40pm on Friday, more than two hours after an original call to Kent Ambulance made about 8-8.30pm.

Mum Angela, who is also her daughter’s carer, was left in the frightening situation of helplessly watching her daughter suffer after a Candoc doctor left their home in Canterbury, expecting an ambulance to arrive shortly afterwards.

She says her faith in the ambulance service has taken a blow and she is worried for Kirsty, born prematurely at just 24 weeks and physically handicapped, should she need to be taken to hospital in future, and for other children.

She said: "Kirsty was vomiting, her eyes were hurting, she was very hot and really poorly. The Candoc doctor came out and couldn't tell if Kirsty had meningitis, so said we should be at Margate Hospital quickly.

"The call to the ambulance was made about 8-8.30. The doctor went off and said it would be here in about 20 minutes.

"After three quarters of an hour I was worried thinking, 'Where are they?' I was walking up and down and getting very panicky.

"By 10.20pm I rung Candoc back, and they told me they would get through to the ambulance, but I went and woke a neighbour up and they gave us a lift in their car. We arrived at Margate at 10.40pm under our own steam."

Until the downgrading of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in which the children's ward was closed, Kirsty, a Pilgrim's Way School pupil, had open access to the ward but must now travel to Margate in the event she falls ill.

"I have phoned the ambulance trust to complain about it. I am not the type of person who kicks up a stink, but no one will know about things like this if people don't say anything.

"I understand it is busy on a Friday but it's not good enough. The woman I spoke to at the ambulance trust apologised and said, 'What do you want us to do?' I said make sure it doesn't happen again.”

The Kent Ambulance NHS Trust refused to discuss the case, but chief executive Hayden Newton said: "We are sorry if a member of the public experienced difficulties in accessing our service and are investigating the matter."