Ambulance - BBC1 last night

[Almost2026]

I watched an episode of ambulance last night on BBC1. All of the staff are amazing but it just backed up my thoughts that so many other services are lacking.

All the drunk people passed out in the streets of Leeds. Surely we could have some sort of ‘street angels’ helping these type of people?

The girl having an anxiety attack - known anxiety, had it all her life, absolutely no reason for an ambulance to be sent there. Her parents encouraging her to use the service again if needed!

The man in the sheltered accommodation, obviously needed help, but why don’t we have separate mental health emergency teams? Totally separate from medical paramedics.

And as awful as the story of the young child and then further children at the property. What was the need for an ambulance, why couldn’t the police and / or social services take those children to hospital?

Very few ambulance calls outside are for true emergency's. It's been like that for a while. The ones that I find ridiculous are the frequent flyers, who they know are not ill, and they still send ambulances out just in case.

1% of the population, account for 30% of all call outs.....a third!

*emergencies

I usually love this programme, but last night I found it so upsetting that I had to switch off. Four of my close family are in the ambulance service and never talk about their jobs. I think there is not enough money in the world to compensate NHS staff for what they do.

Could you not set up, or volunteer as a street angel in your local area @Almost2026?

Where children are concerned there are specific procedures which must be followed, you can’t opt of them for convenience.

I’m not saying you can just opt out of them, I’m saying that the procedures potentially need to be reviewed.

It’s the first time I’ve watched it, was last nights unusual? It was what I pretty much expected to be how our ambulances are used these days?

I didn't watch the programme so forgive me for knee jerk ignorance/defensiveness but why should the police collect children and take them to hospital?

In answer to your question about emergency mental health teams, I think a big problem in our country currently is we don't pay these people enough for what is very difficult work. They already struggle to recruit people for hospital and ward work, MH teams are low in numbers and they just don't have enough numbers to set up new teams responding to crises.

Too many people call 999 when they are quite capable of getting to the hospital themselves, minor injuries etc which are tying up emergency services which other people genuinely need.
That said, a couple of years ago an elderly male in his late 80s was found passed away in bed by his carer. She phoned 999 and 6 police cars, 2 ambulances and a first response car were sent to the address. I'm still scratching my head at who thought this was a good use of resources!!

The police were already there. It was them ringing it in. Although, we’re in a poor state, didn’t ‘sound’ life threatening at that time. Just felt like an added layer to the service that felt in my (possibly uneducated) opinion that wasn’t needed. And a waste of resource.

@Almost2026 we have street pastors who go around during the early hours at the weekend to help anyone who needs it. From their website
Street Pastors always carry flip-flops, to give to girls who have problems dealing with their high heels (high heels and alcohol do not mix!). Their kit includes bottles of water to quench the thirst of those dehydrated by alcohol, lollipops, and emergency space blankets. As well as a dustpan and brush to clear up broken glass.

The programme really does highlight how by taking away the base level of mental health services, just how much it has a knock on affect all the other services, and just how much they are struggling

My daughter is a paramedic. Yes, she does get annoyed at times by the frequent flyers, but compassion is a big part of their role, and when people are in need, they’re there. The police aren’t really geared up, nor have the support within their organisation, to deal with human angst.

@Almost2026
Hopefully it has inspired you to look at local volunteering roles.
Or do you mean someone else, not you, or any of your family, someone else should step up?

Because if you are unwilling to step up you have an answer to why there aren't more street angels.

Other children in the family of the child discovered outside naked and malnourished in the freezing cold were described as 'deathly pale', 'malnourished' and 'covered in unexplained injuries'. You really think an emergency ambulance wasn't appropriate for potential hypothermia, starvation and injury?

I totally agree with you. The OP really hasn't thought this one through. No police officer, even the Sergeant who we heard on the telephone call is qualified to decide that those children were not in need of ambulance care. I really do not understand who the OP thinks should qualify for an ambulance.

One thing I have learntfrom watching multiple episodes of A&E programmes is how often a consultant will say that children are most vulnerable because their condition can deteriorate so rapidly. They can hold it together so far and then WHAM be very ill. Why should a police officer have to decide that children do not deserve a paramedic ambulance? I find your attitude towards the plight of the children very uncaring.

As I have a heart problem I have had need of the ambulance service far more often than I might wish. But - they are wonderful. They arrive quickly, do all the necessary tests, discuss my options with me and treat me like an adult with choices. And when they get me to A&E they try and make sure I am put somewhere as comfortable as possible.

And then ..... the chaos begins! A&E is truly awful ..........

I watched the programme last night and the scenario I know so well was played out. Poor man with mental health problems was treated wonderfully by the paramedics but I know that when he got to A&E he will have finished up sitting on a chair for hours surrounded by vomiting people while someone tries to find an on-call mental health bod. And then he will likely be sent home with promises of support that never materialise - I have worked in this field.

It does make me a bit uncomfortable that he, and others like him, are persuaded into hospital by the paramedics when they too must know that the chance of anything concrete happening is very low, unless they need sectioning.

I suppose that if the paramedics had left the self harming chap at home,and he had done himself more injury later that night that led to his death then the Paramedic who had got to know him would have felt even worse. At least by taking him to A&E the incident got logged and from the end credits it seemed that the chap did get moved to more suitable accommodation after his discharge, so something good came of that particular hospital trip.

I think that public sector pay (or any organisation that provides support services) should reflect the value of the particular role to society.

For example, how much would pay a paramedic to save the life of someone you love?

Is emergency, life saving intervention on your child worth 5k?

How about 10k?

What about the line worker who reconnects your power after a storm?

What about the people who keep the sewers working so that you can flush your toilet?

Or the fire fighters, police officers, the armed forces?

I don't think relying on compassion is a good basis for a national health service. People need to be paid what their skills are really worth.

Well if I’m totally honest, I mean why can’t that be an actual job role. Not reliant on volunteers or full paramedics / ambulance crews. Dedicated people must be more cost effective then paramedics.

So kind. Silly billy me.

Where's the funding coming from?

The Public Sector is on it's knees from years of cutbacks.

But by funding this, frees up paramedics time. Which would be less costs overall.

This is the annoying thing. All the surrounding support services have dwindled away, leaving nothing but the emergency services which are by far the most expensive to run. But the government, both national and local, are so shortsighted and only wa.t to deal with the immediate thing that wins them votes instead of proper investment in communities which would benefit many more people going forward. Early intervention in people's lives could help with do many of these issues but there just aren't the services any more.

Police are often very reluctant to transport people (especially the vulnerable, elderly, children, LDiffs) - imagine anything goes wrong during the transport, we would be heavily criticised for not getting health care workers dealing with it instead of us.
And really police are not the best people in the circumstance.

We are always told not to get RTC survivors in our cars for example after a person was invited to sit in the officer's nice warm dry car then ambo got there and said they had a critical neck injury and couldn't just get out - the police car had to be cut open, roof taken off, with fire tools! 😱

So yes unless in an emergency we are always advised to get appropriate services dealing with victims/patients.

Catching up now. The girl with the panic attack did not need an ambulance. Her dad sitting next to her could have taken her to hospital if needed.