Do people realise how bad the Ambulance service is right now?

[Things change I've changed]

Last night my GF's father was very ill, violently sick with blood and in severe pain, they called the ambulance at 6pm, it arrived at 2.30am, right now he is still in the ambulance outside the hospital!

What the hell is going on? you can't even get into hospital via an ambulance, you can't see a Doctor anymore, seriously, how has this country fallen this far, you can't even rely on a basic emergency service.

'People are dying' due to 'worse than ever' ambulance queues

An ambulance worker told Somerset Live 24 ambulances were stuck in a queue outside Bath's RUH on Wednesday (May 11)

www.somersetlive.co.uk

"An ambulance worker says "worse than ever" queues outside hospitals in Somerset and across the South West are "without doubt" leading to deaths."

Ambulance wait times endangering patients, doctors say

New data shows a 77% spike in the number of safety incidents involving ambulances over the past year.

www.bbc.co.uk

"They explained she had a severe head injury and her leg was badly hurt but we were told it would be a 10-hour wait for an ambulance and we'd have to get her to hospital ourselves."

'It's totally unacceptable': MP's anger as 15 full ambulances queue at hospital

A total of 15 ambulances were seen queuing outside Southend Hospital today with the new MP branding it as a "totally unacceptable…

www.echo-news.co.uk

"A total of 15 ambulances were seen queuing outside Southend Hospital today with the new MP branding it as a "totally unacceptable situation."

Heart attack and stroke patients waiting almost an hour for ambulances

Experts raise serious concerns about potentially disastrous impact of chronic ambulance delays

www.birminghammail.co.uk

"Heart attack and stroke patients waiting almost an hour for ambulances in West Midlands"

Royal Cornwall Hospital ambulance queues 'a major issue'

A letter from inspectors expresses concern over queues but praises staff at Royal Cornwall and West Cornwall hospitals.

www.bbc.co.uk

"Inspectors have said the number of ambulances waiting outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital is a major issue."

This /\ is a picture of my local hospital, Where's the public outcry? this should be on the front page of every newspaper? All these Ambulances sitting there that should be available for other emergencies.

 

[Things change I've changed]

I think the 111 service can be part of the problem. From anecdotal evidence, people often seem to ring up 111 with a minor problem not necessarily wanting an ambulance (in many cases after being unable to get a GP appointment) and then it's the 111 service that decides to send them an ambulance because their software tool says so.

The 111 service is part of the problem because as you say local doctors surgeries are failing people, it's practically impossible to get an appointment at my local Doctors, local Doctors should be the first port of call to help create a buffer for the hospitals.

 

[Things change I've changed]

What was stopping someone driving him to the hospital? Lots of people call ambulances when there are better alternatives.

I used to work in a hospital FWIW.

He was in a very bad way sicking up blood all the time, couldn't stand up etc, it's not as simple as you think to just 'pop him in the car', your first instinct in this scenario is to ring an ambulance, and I believe the right one, the service should've of been there.

 

[Things change I've changed]

There are lots of different private service providers. I don't know what the proportions are exactly, but it's not an outlier.....a large portion of the ambulance service now exists to line shareholder pockets.

This is the problem when you break up the NHS into different private service providers, it doesn't become cost efficient at all, they all end becoming 'for profit' and creaming off the top, prime exmaple right now with NHS having record funding but no real improvements because the money gets hoovered up.

Non-NHS healthcare providers given £96bn in a decade, says Labour

Exclusive: Analysis reveals amount of money flowing to for-profit firms, voluntary groups and not-for-profits

www.theguardian.com

"More than £96bn of health service funding has gone to non-NHS providers of care over the last decade, including private firms such as Virgin Care, research has revealed.

The amount of money flowing out of the NHS in England to for-profit companies, voluntary groups and not-for-profits has grown from £8.4bn in 2010 to £14.4bn last year – a 72% jump."