Horsham pensioner left 'trapped' in her home after breaking ankle in fall

Rosemary Byrne, 69, suffered the break when she was on her way to church in Horsham town centre on December 9. She was rushed to East Surrey Hospital and discharged shortly before Christmas with her leg in a heavy ‘boot.’

But, she said, there are steep steps outside her house in Orchard Road and she now cannot get out. “I have become trapped in my own home,” she said.

She said she had contacted West Sussex County Council to ask for a temporary ramp to be installed and, after initially having her request rejected, had now been told that she will have to wait for six weeks for a ramp to be fitted.

Meanwhile, she said: “I can’t go out. It’s been an absolute nightmare. I’ve got no family nearby or anyone to support me.

"It’s made me realise you are on your own, it’s not good for your mental health or wellbeing. People don’t realise how difficult it is in this day and age to get access to support and help.”

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She is now having to pay for carers to come in and help and is hoping her GP can also help to speed up the installation of a temporary ramp so that she can once again go in and out of her home.

"I was very active before all this happened,” she said. “I was a busy bee.”