Heart attack victims facing a 41-minute wait for ambulance
HEART attack victims in Rochdale were left waiting almost three quarters of an hour for an ambulance, according to new figures.
The local areas with the longest average waiting times for an ambulance have been revealed thanks to a freedom of information request by the Liberal Democrats.
The figures show a postcode lottery, with patients in some areas waiting three times as long for life-threatening calls.
Patients in Rochdale were left waiting an average of 41 minutes for category two calls, which cover things like heart attacks and strokes, in 2021/22 according to the data. The NHS target is 18 minutes.
Bolton and Wigan had the worst records of any areas in Greater Manchester, with an average wait time of 56 minutes each.
Category one calls cover the most life threatening injuries and have a target average response time of seven minutes. Rochdale fared quite well in this category, with an average response time of eight minutes 22 seconds.
Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “These heart-breaking figures show that in every corner of the country, targets are being missed and patients are being left waiting far too long for an ambulance to arrive. This stark postcode lottery means that if you suffer a heart attack or stroke, your chances of getting to hospital on time depend on where you happen to live.
“Every day we hear more and more devastating stories of pensioners left stranded for hours, or families watching a loved one die before a paramedic could reach them.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures the NHS is under and are taking urgent action to support the ambulance service and staff so they can deliver high quality care to patients.
“This includes an extra £500 million to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds – and creating the equivalent of at least 7,000 more beds this winter – improving patient flow through hospitals and getting ambulances swiftly back on the road.”
“This will be supported by an additional £6.6 billion in the NHS over the next two years to enable rapid action to improve urgent and emergency care performance towards pre-pandemic levels.”