GOOD citizens who took an injured man on a zebra crossing to the doctor’s surgery say they were criticised by staff who told them they should have dialled 999 instead.

Pewsey Surgery’s response to the incident was called “unacceptable” by a man who said he was made to feel humiliated for trying to help.

The surgery is part of Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership, alongside its Marlborough surgery.

Ian Yeates was in his car on Monday when he saw on older man dragging his leg while at the zebra crossing on River Street and took him straight to the doctors to be checked over.

Mr Yeates, 47, of Rawlins Road, said that on entering the surgery he was told that they should have dialled 999 at the scene and told the surgery was not an ambulance waiting room.

He said: “We were only trying to do the best we could and help the man. We brought him into the surgery to be checked over.

“The doctor came out and told us off for taking the gentleman to the surgery.

“I understand that our doctors are stretched but we shouldn’t have been spoken to like that.”

Responding to the incident, partners at the Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership said: “We are a community based general practice service providing non-emergency health care and support to nearly 18,000 patients. We understand that on occasions people can find it frustrating and confusing that we do not provide an emergency service.

“This is because most emergencies, in particular suspected strokes, heart attacks or accidents, are better and more safely responded to by the emergency services who are trained and fully equipped to do so.

“In all instances where we have been presented with obvious emergency situations, we have provided the best care possible given our facilities. In some cases, this does mean calling 999.”

A spokesman for the South West Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 12.33pm and attended with an ambulance to a male patient. The patient was taken to Great Western Hospital.”