JUST WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET AN AMBULANCE?
EXCLUSIVE: 157,000 emergency cases – including heart attack victims – waiting over an hour for 999 crew. So...
A SHAKE-UP of 999 response times has left heart attack and stroke victims waiting more than an hour for an ambulance, the Mail can reveal.
They were among the 157,000 emergencies who suffered delays of more than 60 minutes following the introduction of new rules for call handlers.
One patient was forced to wait more than 18 hours after their call was accidentally cancelled by operators.
An overhaul of ambulance response times, introduced last year, aimed to give priority to the most urgent cases. The blanket eight-minute target was scrapped and emergencies were split into two types. The most serious, lifethreatening category 1 calls were given a seven-minute response time. Ambulances were told to get to category 2 cases – including heart attacks and strokes – within 18 minutes.
But data obtained by the Mail shows these lower priority patients are forced to wait much longer for paramedics to arrive. According to figures from seven of the ten
ambulance trusts in England, a total of 157,370 category 2 calls had to wait at least an hour for an ambulance in 2018.
Experts say every minute counts for heart attack and stroke patients. Separate figures by Labour today show that on average, the response targets for both new categories have been missed in every month since they were introduced.
According to the analysis, ambulance trusts have missed the category 2 response target of 18 minutes by an average of almost 12 minutes in the worst months.
Rachel Power, of the Patients Association, last night said the Mail’s figures were matter of a ‘profound concern’ and called for additional funding for the ambulance service. ‘Ambulance services must respond in a timely and effective way – this can be literally a matter of life or death,’ she said.
Ambulance services across England are struggling to cope with the soaring number of 999 calls, a shortage of staff and delays outside overstretched A&E units.
In 2017, only 3,365 so-called ‘red calls’ – the old emergency category which included heart attacks and strokes – were delayed for longer than an hour. Although this figure is based only on the responses of six of the ten ambulance trusts, it is far less than the figure for 2018.
The longest delay for a category 2 call was recorded by the South East Coast Ambulance Service at 18 hours and 37 minutes. A spokesman said the call was ‘cancelled in error’ before being ‘reopened’.
South Central Ambulance Service recorded a delay of 13 hours and 41 minutes and Yorkshire Ambulance Service said a patient waited 13 hours and nine minutes.
The analysis by Labour showed average response time for category 2 emergencies in England has varied between 20 minutes and 15 seconds and 29 minutes and 36 seconds at the worst times.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘ These figures show the intense strain that many ambulance trusts are under with targets to respond to the most seriously ill patients being missed month after month. It’s simply unacceptable.’ NHS England said the reforms were ensuring ambulances reached the most urgent patients more quickly. They include road crash victims and patients whose heart has stopped.
A spokesman added: ‘Anyone in a life-threatening situation is treated as a priority and response times to the most seriously ill and injured patients have never been better, with an extra £36million funding to help areas deliver even more improvements.
A South East Coast Ambulance spokesman said: ‘There are times when we may take longer to reach a patient due to periods of increased demand [when] we ensure we prioritise our response to our most seriously ill and injured patients.’
Comment – Page 16
‘Still got it? She never had it to begin with’
SHE said she was taking part just to give the show comic value. But last night Ann Widdecombe received her highest ever Strictly Come Dancing scores for her Cinderella-inspired American smooth.
The former Tory MP, 71, was given a standing ovation during the Christmas special for her routine which saw her and her professional partner Anton Du Beke dressed as the ugly sisters.
She received 22 points – higher than any of her scores when she competed in the 2010 series – and even won a two out of ten from hard-to-please judge Craig Revel Horwood.
Miss Widdecombe was carried in on a throne for the routine, which saw the pair dressed in billowing gowns, towering wigs and unflattering make-up.
At one point, Du Beke dragged Miss Widdecombe around on the floor after she pretended to faint after looking at a painting of the prince.
Following the routine, presenter Tess Daly asked the judges: ‘Has Ann still got it?’ Revel Horwood replied: ‘She never had it to begin with.’
But Miss Widdecombe pleaded with him, saying: ‘You’ve always given me one. This is Christmas so make it two.’
Dame Darcey Bussell complimented her on making ‘lovely sweeping lines … on the floor’.
The special, featuring previous contestants including Caroline Flack and Anita Rani, was won by pop singer Aston Merrygold, 0.