Ambulance Response Times

Blue Mist said:
I think they would have come out, plus they have the lifting capabilities.
Do you have an alarm round your neck ? I was just thinking if your missus was out shopping etc.
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No. My daughter who helped me is a carer for the NHS and she mentioned this yesterday.

I have had a look on Google this morning about them, and that seems a good way to go. About £200 per year for a 24/7 response within 6 seconds. Sounds good value
 
mosssideblue said:
The thing I constantly strive to avoid happened to me yesterday.

A long story, but I ended up pushed to the garage floor with my electric wheelchair locked in fwd drive, trying to ride over my legs.

Took 15 mins before wife found me, but with my disability, there is no way I could get up off the floor.

Called 999 and asked for ambulance as they have the correct equipment and expertise to raise people stranded on the floor.

8 hrs, I was told it would be!

Thankfully, my Daughter was nearby and she with her daughter managed to get me to safety.

She later told me that she knew of an old lady who had fallen and broke her pelvis, only to lie there for 12 hrs before attendance arrived . Poor lady died in hospital.

It never used to be like this, what has changed?
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Sorry to hear about that, which must have been a stressful experience. I'm not a paramedic but my daughter & son-in-law are so I know a bit about it.

There are a number of issues causing this:
  • Wait times at A&E delaying crews handing over patients. Handover is crucial as it enables the crew to brief the hospital staff as to the circumstances and extent of injuries. I think some services are trialling a system whereby a paramedic is embedded in A&E departments and the incoming crew hand over to them, who then do the handover to hospital staff. That's not perfect but it might help recycle ambulances quicker.
  • People calling ambulances inappropriately, which increases pressure on the service. Some are quite capable of making their own way to A&E or just don't need an ambulance in the first place. I was told of a call to a multi-car household where someone had a headache for 3 days. That's not a case that needs an ambulance and there are many like that who effectively waste the service's time.
  • People calling ambulances because they can't get GP or other appointments, or who don't fancy hanging around in A&E & who think it's a short-cut to getting seen.
  • The amount of calls to mental health and drug cases they get called to, particularly in big cities like Manchester. People always question why calls to drunk people or drug takers get priority over cases like yours but if someone is unconcloud then they'll get priority. Mental health services are stretched, so again, an ambulance is the first port of call.
You could argue that picking someone up from a fall could be done by, say, the Fire service or someone less skilled or experienced than my daughter & son-in-law, particularly if you're not injured or only suffered minor cuts and bruises.

In North Manchester there's a Jewish first responder service that can do first aid and transport people to hospital if required. Maybe that sort of thing is the answer to getting to non-urgent (although it was urgent to you) cases quicker.
 
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Prestwich_Blue said:
:

People calling ambulances inappropriately, which increases pressure on the service. Some are quite capable of making their own way to A&E or just don't need an ambulance in the first place. I was told of a call to a multi-car household where someone had a headache for 3 days. That's not a case that needs an ambulance and there are many like that who effectively waste the service's time.

People calling ambulances because they can't get GP or other appointments, or who don't fancy hanging around in A&E & who think it's a short-cut to getting seen.
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Good post but wanted to pick up specifically on these two points. That’s one of the main problems with A&E for me, the clues in the fucking name. Accident and Emergency. Not I can’t get a doctors appointment for 3 days or run out of paracetamol.
 
@mosssideblue firstly I'm glad you're okay. Unfortunately I encountered our ambulance service in the early hours of last Saturday, or rather I didn't but did encounter how frustratingly awful it is.

I went for a drink on Friday night, came home and went to bed. I woke up in the early hours busting to go to the toilet. Nothing. Not a trickle. I was in shock. I do have bph which sometimes makes for a weak flow but nothing like this. I was in agony, increasing by the minute and rang 999, after straining and crying out in pain for some time. After having to go through the call handlers checklist she said, "We're advising waiting times of a minimum of four hours." I told her no way could I wait that long I was in agony, felt dizzy and living alone was scared I might pass out. After much going back and forth and three phone calls they called me a taxi, which although local took ages to get there too and two calls to chase them up. This was just after 5am so no idea how they were so busy.

Missing out the gory hospital details I'm being discharged and waiting for my antibiotics when my phone rang. "Hello, it's the ambulance, we're outside your property now, are you able to make your own way out?" It was 11:30 am!!
 
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