40-hour ambulance waits

**DealorNoDeal** · 1 December 2022, 08:09

I've told the wife, if anything happens, just do a "Trainspotting". Just get a taxi to dump me on the pavement outside the hospital.

**Whorty** · 1 December 2022, 08:31

Originally posted by DealorNoDeal View Post

I've told the wife, if anything happens, just do a "Trainspotting". Just get a taxi to dump me on the pavement outside the hospital.

When my wife was ill, we'd called an ambulance a few times and even after 12 hours none came. As she was so disabled, getting her into the car was difficult and painful and yet that's what I had to do and drive her to the hospital over an hour away.

In the end, when we had emergencies we didn't even bother calling the ambulance, I just took her direct. And this was over 2 years ago ... and for a period of about 2 years. So unfortunately all this is not that new news.

My g/f is a first responder to end of life patients. She'll have a couple of times a week where she calls an ambulance and she sits with the, often dying, patient for hours until the ambulance arrives. One patient died last week whilst waiting ... so that turned into a district nurse call to record the death. At the time there were 14 ambulances sitting outside RUH waiting to drop off patients.

It's chaos.

**TheDude** · 1 December 2022, 08:33

My dad is really unwell and has several ambulances recently.

The paramedics have said that a lot of their time is taken up by people who are unable to get doctors appointments or in my dads case people who are borderline unable to take care of themselves.

**Whorty** · 1 December 2022, 08:43

What I don't get is ... and maybe some of the ex military on here can answer ... but if the army can be pulled in if nurses etc go on strike then why can't we call on the army to help during these other times when the NHS is stretched to breaking?

We, the tax payer, is paying for the army bods. They are trained, so why can't we use them to help out?

**_V_** · 1 December 2022, 08:49

Seems to have turned to tulip over the last 12 years. Not sure why.

**DealorNoDeal** · 1 December 2022, 08:54

I may be wrong but I'm guessing the problem mainly lies in the hospitals. If ambulances are queuing up for hours outside to hand over patients, it's not surprising it's taking them hours to attend calls.

The problems in A&E are probably a combination of things. More people visiting A&E rather than their GP. Shortages of beds on wards, partly down to bed-blocking patients. Staff shortages.

**WTFH** · 1 December 2022, 08:57

Originally posted by Whorty View Post

What I don't get is ... and maybe some of the ex military on here can answer ... but if the army can be pulled in if nurses etc go on strike then why can't we call on the army to help during these other times when the NHS is stretched to breaking?

We, the tax payer, is paying for the army bods. They are trained, so why can't we use them to help out?

A couple of reasons, but primarily we don’t have a massive shortage of ambulances, and throwing more nurses at it won’t solve the problem. We have an aging population and we don’t have enough hospital beds for everyone.
We really need at least 40 new hospitals (not redecorated wards, but actual new hospitals). Of course, this takes time and costs money, so it’s unlikely to happen. If one PM signs off on the building of 1 new hospital, we’ll probably have 3 more PMs before it is off the planning phase.

**Zigenare** · 1 December 2022, 09:11

Originally posted by Whorty View Post

My g/f is a first responder to end of life patients.

That'll come in handy for easing your passage etc.

**vetran** · 1 December 2022, 09:28

Originally posted by WTFH View Post

A couple of reasons, but primarily we don’t have a massive shortage of ambulances, and throwing more nurses at it won’t solve the problem. We have an aging population and we don’t have enough hospital beds for everyone.
We really need at least 40 new hospitals (not redecorated wards, but actual new hospitals). Of course, this takes time and costs money, so it’s unlikely to happen. If one PM signs off on the building of 1 new hospital, we’ll probably have 3 more PMs before it is off the planning phase.

as a third of beds are being occupied by people who should be in care homes sorting that out might be helpful.

an elderly relative has been in hospital for a week waiting for a pacemaker to be fitted. It could have been done as day surgery months ago but they waited until his heart failed then he had to wait a week in the hospital.

40-hour ambulance waits