On hold to ambulance

[AlizeeEasy]

Earlier this evening I had to call for an ambulance, I was shocked to be put on hold for a few minutes. I’ve never had to call them before so I don’t know if this is somewhat the norm, especially for a Saturday evening. Does this seem like it should be the case?

For context I had initially called for the police as I thought the matter was more appropriate for them and they answered immediately but told me to hang up and call back for the ambulance.

I have such a deep respect for the emergency services, so this isn’t a critique of them, just of the apparent lack of resources to cover busier periods.

My NDN called and an ambulance for her dh last week and it arrived in 15 mins which they were surprised about. Might have been triaged as presented with stroke like symptoms. This week ambulance arrived in 10 mins for them. Another friend said they waited 6 hours for ambulance for their mother- though this wasn't an emergency more a social care issue. Its scary all the same.

Luck of the draw I reckon. It is almost a year ago since I called an ambulance for DH who ticked every box on the FAST test, he had clearly had a stroke and a massive one which meant he couldn't stand much less walk. There was a queue to speak to a call handler then the ambulance had to come from 50 miles away.

Same here, it's a job I looked into and think I'd be good at but the distance to the call centre combined with the cost of fuel means I can't even consider it.

Aren't they for people already dead?
''Private ambulance'' is sign written onto them :(
They collect people from home and take them to wherever they have to go to.

All the posters advising to just drive to A&E if you can... Ive got severe asthma and a senior nurse told.me that if I have an asthma,attack I should call an ambulance, not get someone to drive me to A&E so that I can receive medical treatment on the way to the hospital

Not many times I've had to dial 999, but each time the phone was answered without a ring tone and put through immediately and was then talking to someone on the ambulance as it came to my location. This is very scary.

I sometimes have to go in quickly as I’m prone to sepsis. I have a team of friends who take me in as I know the symptoms and it’s quicker for them to get me there. I am usually seen quickly because it flags up on my records. However, what terrifies me is dd1 has brittle asthma. She is flagged with the ambulance service, fortunately it been very quick so far, usually get a first responder within 20 minutes, we have a home nebuliser but it’s not always enough.

Sorry @AlizeeEasy, i completely got derailed.
you did the right thing, the police should do a welfare check.
unfortunately, ambulances are sent to deal with mental health crisis and there is no follow on care.

my brother is facing homelessness due to his mental health problems. I don’t feel any kind of entitlement to housing or care for him. Unfortunately, I have seen too many people being rehoused or given benefits without the mental capacity to look after themselves. Ongoing counselling and care is what is needed. He was a child in local authority care who was booted out as he came of age.
I am a single mum of two and can’t support him.

so no, yanbu to be upset at being in hold for an ambulance. The police should do a welfare check unless there is evidence that she has hurt herself

If you are having to wait 5 hours, surely better to get someone to drive you.

We took an asthmatic friend to hospital 3 times. She was kept in for days.
Much quicker than waiting for an ambulance.
She was going blue around the lips, very frightening.
One of us sat in back seat with her trying to keep everything calm.
It was frightening, but waiting would have been worse.

Ambulance service is absolutely stretched to the limits . As are police .

I'm a police officer and ambulance is misused sooooo much they are often on what they call escalation.
Means don't get ill or your fucked . Basically.

Last time I called 999 I just got an engaged tone - that must have been 7 or 8 years ago

I’m sorry to hear about your brother. It’s so hard to support someone who is going through something like that whilst still maintaining your own boundaries and looking after your own life/mental health. I wish the services were better resourced to help people going through such difficulties

Police (quite reasonably) signpost most MH calls to the ambulance service as it's a health related matter. So it goes on the ambulance service call stack waiting for a crew to be allocated. When an ambulance crew are finally allocated/get close to scene they decide whether police are needed as well - i.e. there's a mention in the job of violent aggressive behaviour, a knife/self harm or no information because the caller wasn't with the patient - if they are required the ambulance crew stand off and request police which is typically 1-2 hours sat around the block waiting for the police then attend together and see what's going on/how they can help.

Generally options are limited, I'm a qualified paramedic and my degree only had 1 days training on MH emergencies so not exactly a mental health professional 0 I just try and be someone to listen to them for a bit - however our service isn't tied in when any MH teams so little in the way on continuity of care. If it seems like there's an imminent risk that they'll end their life in the near future/in crisis then transport to A&E to see the crisis MH team. If it's less then this there's probably not much benefit from seeing the crisis team in that they'll just be waiting hours to have a short chat then be discharged being told to contact their GP/MH team - but if they wish to goto A&E will take and drop off, if not they can call their GP/MH worker next day, but often that doesn't happen and the cycle continues.

But what else can you do, when that person messaged you then stopped responding they likely knew that your response would be to call 999, because no ones going to ignore that. Then this will be used later as a reason they can be discharged - since they reached out for help themselves.

listen to this: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001d5kl (it’s upsetting at times)

I think it's quite common. Friend was on hold giving cpr for over 5 minutes.

I called non emergency police from car after a near miss pile up because something blocking the fast lane of a A road. I hung up. By the time I got through there would have been a 70 mph crash. I should have tried 999 first but didn't think straight after wasting the time faffing

Its not necessarily lack of funding! It's the £109,000 pa Diversity Advisors and a whole tier of middle management that needs ditching.

Have you seen the average waiting times for an ambulance? Currently, it's over an hour for a suspected heart attack or stroke.

it's not the ambulance people's fault. It's the fault of those who have starved them of money for so long.

same as they have starved the rest of the NHS. If you didn't know better (!) You'd swear they were doing it on purpose.

remember this when you next get the chance to vote

@AlizeeEasy thank you for your lovely message.
As you have experienced with your own relative, it is so hard to get professional help.
I have spoken to my brother’s gp
and the local mental health support, and unless he is a danger to himself or others, they won’t intervene. It has to be a credible threat, he literally has to be sat on the edge of a bridge (or something just as catastrophic), for them to intervene.

I have had to disassociate somewhat, and rationalise that he is a grown man. I am doing what I can, but he is a grown man and I can only do so much.

@AlizeeEasy please feel free to private message me if you need to xx

109k is fuck all, I’m not even sure it would pay for 1 ambulance for a month. And who are these ‘middle managers’? What do they do that you deem to be unnecessary? Or are you quoting from the daily Mail comments section?

I wish I hadn’t read this.
fucking terrifying

It feels like everything is at the moment ambulance and police!

Qw can be on escalation and still not see any actual emergencies all shift. The only drug I tend to use now adays is oral paracetamol. I think it;s been about 6 months since i last had to cannulate anyone I just seem to be attending the worried well who insist they can't breath to the operator and then have no notable breathing difficulty on arrival just chatting away about how they have a cough and think they need antibiotics (which we don't even carry!) or x months history of abdominal pain they've never taken any analgesia for, and all the ultrasound and bloods ordered by the GP came back negative for, but sure I'll have a go at working out what's causing it with my stethoscope at 1am! All with multiple driving family members present and 2 cars on the driveway. Meanwhile the elderly fallers need to wait hours for help up.

I do absolutely love the job though wouldn't do anything else. But it does get frustrating with the massive misuse of the service in that we're not seeing the patients that we could make a difference for.

@SleepyRich
why aren’t people more responsible for their health. Really bloody annoys me.
Every patient should be given a printout of how much their care has cost the NHS

My nan recently called an ambulance for my uncle on Sunday night. They was there in ten minutes and he sadly died the next day. (End stage cancer). He was dying when they collected him but gave him great care. I was absolutely shocked by how quick they came out to him. We are in London.

My husband had a TIA two weeks ago. Our GP initially told us to ring 999 for an ambulance if he suffered similar symptoms. I queried how long this would take. He then changed his mind & told me not to bother with 999, as it would be hours in our area. Would need to get him in the car & take him myself.
Be prepared for a long wait.

I think a lot of people just wouldn't care.

Back pain is another common one. Last week it came through on the screen 'back pain 4 years, worse past week, 45yr male'. The system sends us because they've called 999 and on paper at least it could be a new/different cause and that cause could be a heart attack or dissection.... But no, it's there normal back pain same character and location, no concern from the patient it could be anything different, they've not taken any pain relief at all, they'd called because their GP wasn't doing anything about it and not gotten better....

I get it's frustrating having chronic pain, I have chronic pains, but literally they've called 999 to get a blue light response when the absolute maximum treatment I have for this type of back pain is paracetamol and ibuprofen. Then we I explain this and go through the diet and exercise plan they were supposed to be doing to strengthen their back which is ultimately the only thing that will make a meaningful improvement to their pain levels, they're annoyed we're not giving morphine and arranging a "scan"!