There is no ambulance service anymore

[Snog]

Twice so far this year NHS111 have told me that my dd needs paramedics to attend for severe chest and abdominal pain and that they are on their way.

Both times the ambulance service called me later and said they would not be attending that night as too busy.

I am posting this because I want people to know that there is no functional ambulance service any more.

If you need an ambulance try to take your loved one to hospital yourself instead. This could save their life.

Obviously when you get to hospital good luck with that but at least you are not waiting for an ambulance that will never come.

I’m sorry this happened to you Op, but just for balance. I’ve called an ambulance for my son a few times as he had convulsions and stops breathing.

If you’ve a child who’s stopped breathing you get one, and I don’t want people to be scared.

The first time we had an ambulance in 3 minutes, the second 5 minutes. We also had a bike and car the first time as well.

OP,
I am posting this because I want people to know that there is no functional ambulance service any more.

Maybe because they are too busy sorting out drunks/fights/stabbings in town centres or seaside towns?

www.researchgate.net/publication/247477497_Targeting_Hotspots_of_Alcohol-related_Town_Centre_Violence_A_Nottinghamshire_Case_Study

Did a doctor advise this or a 111 call handler?

They're known for being over cautious

How you thought this warranted an ambulance is beyond me

Absolute time waster

As pp have said it is the lack of social care causing the issue. Lack of care for discharge means people are bed blocking and this feeds down through the hospital. I work in ASC and hear people say it is close to breaking point. It isn't close to breaking point. It is already broken but as the public seem reluctant to fund it things will only get worse.

If you could afford to employ a privately employed individual, then yes. But how many can do that? You couldn’t pay them on minimum wage & if you need only a few hours a day it is difficult to find anyone (have tried it with my disabled son for years).

Here’s an article from this week: amp.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/21/adult-social-care-in-england-is-in-crisis-say-tory-council-leaders

I work in the sector, I know plenty of companies who are not taking on clients & I know others who cannot provide care for clients they have.

It’s not scaremongering. There are simply not enough ambulances for those that need them. People with genuine serious medical emergencies are not getting them, or waiting dangerously long times.

Just one example. You’ll be aware that stroke victims need to be seen in hospital within a short timeframe so that measures can be taken to minimise long term damage and disability, yes? So you’d think that where there’s a suspected stroke the person would be sent an ambulance within the timeframe necessary for this, no?

Well that’s the aim, quite rightly. But in reality, many, many stroke victims are not getting to hospital in time to be treated effectively because an ambulance can’t get to them in time. So -if they survive - they live with disability they might not otherwise have had it their needs had been met. A whole life blighted because of inadequate medical care.

This is just one medical condition, there are of course many more where timely arrival at hospital is vital and people are suffering because this simply does not happen.

In my densely populated area of London, you can suffer a stroke and be told an ambulance is on its way only to find out later it isn’t coming, because somebody had a suspected cardiac arrest and it’s been diverted there instead. Of course the suspected cardiac arrest has to be prioritised. The issue is the fact there is only one operational ambulance free to respond at that point for a large area of inner London, covering hundreds of thousands of people.

It didn’t used to be like this and it’s not the fault of the paramedics who, in my experience, are unfailingly brilliant when they do arrive.

It’s a complete disgrace. And it’s scary.

@Devilishpyjamas I think it will be there but people are going to have to get used to paying a-lot more I mean a lot & using houses to fund care in the home not just out of the home.

Hence this:

www.sja.org.uk/press-centre/press-releases/st-john-commissioned-as-the-nations-ambulance-auxiliary/

2 hours for people who were unconscious? That is appalling.

YANBU

I will always remember the thread about a women whose DH was having a heart attack and they had to wait hours for an ambulance.

There are always stories of people having to wait 12+ hours for ambulances.

A couple of weeks ago a women had to wait 12 hours for the ambulance to come and then spent 10 hours in the back of the ambulance outside of the hospital - so for 10 hours that ambulance was unavailable for anyone else.

I know someone who was on hold to 999 for 45mins!
Imagine if someone was being attacked!

Something seriously needs to be done about it.
Our emergency services should be first in line for funding.

It’s not scaremongering when it’s the truth and I think it’s good you’ve started this thread as people may not be aware just how bad it is.

For me and my family members the closest hospital is over an hours drive away and it would be safer to get an ambulance as an hour can be the difference between life and death.
But we have all agreed that if possible we will drive one another to the hospital.
One family member who lives alone very rurally also has a number for an emergency taxi/private ambulance and will call them.

It’s good to have a back up plan in place.

Well there’s 2 issues at play here, one is the needs of the patients and the other is the working conditions for NHS staff. Using stressed out staff as a reason not to criticise NHS care is exactly what the Tories want so they can continue to underfund it while making out anyone who objects is disloyal/selfish/unpatriotic.

YANBU OP - if an ambulance can’t come when you need one, the service isn’t there is it?

The middle class concern around houses and social care isn’t really causing this crisis. It is the lack of funding for social care from the government (there are other issues such as corporate, hedge fund backed care companies using care as a means to generate huge wealth through M&A but we’re nowhere near close to dealing with that - have had long conversation with the CQC about that) - but the councils set the amount they pay for services that are bought by them and they do not have enough money to buy at a sensible price. You do have to provide social care for people without houses or savings to fund it.

If, like my mum, they have dementia they won't be capable of putting them into place. In the early stages of alzheimer's people often don't realise there is anything wrong because their short term memory is so bad that they don't realise they are forgetting/getting confused. My mum doesn't remember her tests and brain scan so thinks people are trying to convince her she is mad.

It's the being put on hold when you ring 999 that's the frightening thing. Until you've experienced it, you don't know what a shock it is.

Agree. My friend fell off ladder and broke his back. After he had lay on a cold floor for several hours, the doctors eventually said someone else should drive him providing he could get up himself - tbh he's lucky to still be walking.

It is important that people realise that the ambulance service barely exists.

I was one of the first to arrive at the scene of an accident. The ambulance took nearly three hours to get there.

Had I known beforehand that the ambulance would take so long, I would have asked for help and coped much better in a very traumatic situation. I mistakenly believed the ambulance would be there in a matter of minutes.

My Dad is constantly worrying about inheritance tax. I don't think it will be a problem, I fully expect my parents' (fairly modest, but house in SE bought cheaply a long time ago) estate to go in care costs so IHT won't be an issue. In fact I think that's good, if they need care and have the money they should pay.

In fact, I would support an increase in IHT to fund social care. That makes perfect sense to me, far more than an NI increase that doesn't affect retired people (or other well off non salaried people) at all. Those who can pay for their own care. Those who don't need it and whose estate therefore remains in tact, help those who can't.

I don't understand why inheritance is such a contentious issue. And don't give me the tax has already been paid line because it hasn't in most cases. No tax has been paid on the property gains my parents or thousands like them, have made.

These do already exist in most areas, intermediate care centres 😁just like hospitals they are full of people awaiting care packages to support them at home.
The problem lies there. No community care.
Because why would anyone want to work for minimum wage, doing physically heavy and emotionally draining work when they can earn much more waitressing? I knew some excellent polish carers but they all went home after brexit.

I certainly wouldn't be a carer for what they get paid, why should anyone else.

I waited 8 hours for an ambulance for a destroyed foot (4 breaks and ended up needing surgery to fix it). I new I wasn't a priority and understand the service is stretched to its limits so I didn't mind waiting. Every member of staff I saw was amazing and unbelievably kind but the wait times are really bad. The surgeon apologised as I waited 4 weeks for surgery that would have had a much better outcome if it had been done within two weeks after my accident. Unfortunately the NHS is a sinking ship.

It is awful at the moment. It's scary, and I can only see it getting worse. The last time I was at A&E, there were so many ambulances outside waiting to get people into A&E. A&E was heaving. I worked in A&E for a while, and I have never seen it like that before.

I had to call an ambulance two weeks ago for my family member who had just been discharged from the hospital. It was a 2-hour wait (and told this could be delayed).

Another relative broke her back and she waited on the pavement for just over two hours.

It is not scaremongering. It is just the truth. Just because some people have had good experiences doesn't mean that the ambulance service isn't struggling to function.

I am sure if a Tory MP or especially a cabinet minister had to wait a long time for an ambulance, there would be money found to improve the service. I don't want it to need that for change to happen.

The GPs shortage I am sure plays a part in the demand for ambulances- people who don't seek help earlier.

It's set to become a whole lot worse when the post~War Boomers begin to get ''Incapably'' old.
Who will look after them all?
No one wants to work in 'Care', the pay isn't nearly attractive enough, unless one is a ''Private'' carer.

someone near us had waited over an hour - they’d had a heart attack. I’ve had to go to A&E a couple of times since then for urgent treatment for my toddler, and I’ve just got in the car and driven them myself as I didn’t dare risk the wait.

I mentioned this at a GP appointment last week and she agreed that availability is an issue, particularly in more rural locations