Re the poster talking about a broken back. You know it was a broken back through the wonder of hindsight. The call itself would have been for a fall I imagine. Unfortunately, falls in the elderly are not prioritised and as a consequence this patient group suffers terribly. We need a new triage system for older patients to flag up these issues but at the same time we simply don’t have the resources to cope with demand.
The problems facing the ambulance service are not new. This has been building for many years but nobody in power has had the wherewithal to foresee it and mitigate it. I remember spending large chunks of my shifts waiting with patients in hospital corridors 10-15 years ago. This was a regular occurrence; now it’s a daily occurrence.
The things that have contributed to the crisis are…
A significant decrease in social care provision. This causes bed blockers in hospital but also means people aren’t supported to live in their homes properly. The lack of good quality yet affordable care homes is also a factor, meaning people who require enhanced care are staying in their homes longer than they should, and not being supported adequately. This leads to increased falls and inability to self-care. In addition, many families provide limited care and support to their elderly family members, which then places more burden onto the health service.
Staff retention is a huge problem in ambulance services. Paramedics now have a huge variety of career options compared to 15 years ago, which are better paid, with much better working conditions. The way staff are treated within ambulance trusts has been dreadful for years. The abuse suffered from the public is also increasing.
People DO phone 999 unnecessarily and you’d be silly to try and deny this. Those who work in the job know this because they deal with it daily. Sometimes it’s due to ignorance, being at the end of their tether, not knowing what else to do or just being a bit dim. Sometimes it’s due to over reaction and panic because many people have limited knowledge and understanding of even basic first aid. Sometimes it’s the ‘good Samaritan’ who spots something that might be a problem but rather than stopping to check and make sure, just phone as they’re driving or walking past. And sometimes it’s people just being selfish, entitled arseholes.
Lack of vehicles. Either because you’re waiting for an earlier shift to get back so you can have their truck, or there just aren’t any. You can’t go anywhere if you don’t have a vehicle.
One of the biggest issues is that the NHS needs a long term recovery plan and investment but no government will ever properly initiate this because they only deal in 4 year terms and god forbid another party ends up in power taking the ‘glory’. Short term plans are simply papering over the deep cracks.