What's the longest you have had to wait for an ambulance?7

[OneUmberJoker]

7 hours

Myself-9 and a half hours (id pulled my back out and couldn't get out of bed-the doctors told me to phone 999 and get to hospital,it was a waste of time for everyone and certainly not hospital worthy,but they refused to deal with me further)

Mil-5 and a half hours/7 hours (double hernia and was very ill)

The time waster (customer) at work who was bored and wanted some attention-7 minutes because she said the problem was her heart (there was nothing wrong with her,she was just bored and wanted some attention)

48 hours, I had an orthopaedic collapse of my pelvis and couldn't move off the sofa to get food or water or go to the loo. Thank God I'd left the front door open for the postman.it was horrendous. I live on my own and my neighbours don't drive. I had to be stretchered out so a taxi was out.

Felt quite lucky when we only waited 45 minutes a few weeks ago when dh fell down the stairs. He was unconscious for about 5 minutes, then came around but in terrible pain ( he’d broken a rib). Paramedics were fantastic.

When I had my 2nd heart attack I was told it could be 2 hours. I got my ex to drive me to A&E. I knew what it was and said that, but I don’t think they often believe women with chest pain.

My 3 rd heart attack I was in the car with DP so we drove to hospital.

Both times about 15 minutes, maybe ten. Both were serious things that I assume would tick boxes, one immediately life threatening so very grateful it was fast.

My Dad had a heart attack. He was unconscious so I couldn’t move him. The 999 operator said it would be an hour for an ambulance. She also said that the clinical lead would ring me back and might suggest an alternative treatment source, like a pharmacy. I laughed.

it took 2 hours for the ambulance to arrive.

About an hour when I fell and broke my ankle on a cliff top. The paramedics got me wrapped up warm on a stretcher and gave me morphine, but decided it wasn't safe to carry me back to the ambulance, given the terrain, so I waited a further hour for a Royal Navy helicopter to arrive and airlift me to hospital. I was comfortable and had a nice view of the sea while I waited, though. 🙂 My mum posed for a photo with the crew while I was being put in the ambulance to take me from the helipad to the A and E entrance. 🙄 😅

I waited about 20 minutes for an ambulance when I broke my hip and wrist. This was around midnight on a Sunday night, so maybe it's not so busy at that time?
🤷‍♀️

First time was in Dumfries and Galloway (was flown to Ayr Hospital) , seventeen years ago. Second time was home in Glasgow, this February.

Never more than 8 minutes (4 ambulances in the last 5 years) but then I don’t live in the UK.

12 hours overnight sitting with DM who had had a fall, and was bleeding but conscious etc so not a priority. It was a few years ago, post-pandemic but at one of the times when the local hospitals ambulance service were in crisis.

A few months later she waited another 12 hours+ after another fall, and then was in the ambulance outside A&E for another 12 hours after that. She never went home again.

Not in the uk. 5 minutes. Only needed one once in my life. They basically materialized out of thin air and started working on my dd. It took about 45 minutes before she was stabile enough to transport because they had to build splints small enough to put her in from scratch, but they had pain medication going very quickly.

Was having severe pain turned out to be gallbladder was told would be an 18hr wait, my son drove me, I then spent 36 hrs in A and E, then 12 hours on a ward before going home

Only ever about 20 mins

Ive had 3 occasions

• 2 x baby with breathing difficulty (ended up on a ventilator)
• 1 x miscarriage with complications - so so so much blood everywhere

On all 3 occasions it was blue lights bombing it to the hospital

11 hours and was a broken back.

I called an ambulance for a man I found in the street collapsed on the floor and not responding. It took the ambulance 45 minutes to arrive.
A passerby helped me put the man in the recovery position and waited with me for the ambulance.

My dad had to wait about 6 hours I think. Believe me, if the people with him could have, they would have taken him to the hospital themselves but it wasn’t possible due to the risk of further injury. He then waited several hours in the back of the ambulance to even be able to get into a+e and then several days to get a bed on a ward.

When i broke my foot DH just drove me in.

When DS had very bad croup i drove him. That was a horrendous 20 mins but I knew it was the quickest way to get him in. Once there they got steroids into him within about 3 minutes, they could hear how he was gasping for breath.

Basically I've only ever gone in ambulance when its been that lifesaving medical treatment is needed literally on route.

We’ve only ever had to call once for a family member and they arrived within 10 minutes.

About 2 and a half hours, a few weeks ago with an elderly person after a fall. Category 2 apparently. They were in so much pain (and bleeding/on blood thinners along with the broken leg so it was scary). But I guess we were lucky reading some of these. The ambulance people were outstanding, such good care. The hospital too - but so, so busy.

2.5 hours. Couldn’t move so no alternative.

5 hours at the side of a road with someone with signs of a spinal injury and leg numbness after they were hit by a car. Ambulance service ignored repeated calls and I eventually had to lie and pretend she was developing signs of haemorrhagic shock so I could get them to prioritise her.

I had to get the police to drive to the nearest hospital to take a neck brace from the emergency team so I could stabilise her neck while she waited for them to come. Truly appalling.

Even the ambulance crew told me they were shocked (while they were spinal boarding her).

The only time i’ve ever needed an ambulance- took DD to Dr’s as she was lethargic. Dr said she might have sepsis so called an ambulance. They took over an hour and we got to hospital about 3 hours later. I thought that was shocking for a 7 month old with potential sepsis!

Nearly an hour, despite the person who phoned claiming my leg was falling off. It was a really nasty accident, 3 months off work, but my leg wasn’t falling off despite the fact that there was lots of it on the ground. Very glad the femoral wasn’t involved, down to the muscle/bone, lots subsequently got removed.

Omg do you have rescue medication or did you have to wait for the paramedics? That’s so scary

About 25/30 mins I think but we lived in the arse end of no where and some idiot on our estate blocked one of the routes in and the ambulance couldn't get through.

The only time I called one for me it was under 20 mins. On another occasion I got a taxi to A&E and was told off for not calling an ambulance. I’ve waited several hours for an ambulance to transfer one of my patients to the tertiary centre for emergency lifesaving treatment.