Ambulance staff are being put at risk by a lack of protective equipment to guard them against coronavirus, according to a trade union. GMB says its members are “scared” about their own safety and their families. The union claims one in five ambulance staff in London are off sick with coronavirus-related sickness. The government says […]
NHS officials have considered telling paramedics they must be clean shaven to protect themselves from coronavirus. London Ambulance Service said in a draft memo – seen by the BBC – that its ability to handle potential Covid-19 cases was “adversely affected” by crews unable to wear respirators properly. The service said staff had been asked […]
Long ambulance delays ‘affect thousands each week’ Every week thousands of emergency calls are taking ambulance crews over an hour to reach, a BBC investigation shows. The delays – affecting one in 16 calls in England for conditions such as strokes, heart attacks and fits – are putting lives at risk, experts say. It amounts […]
Critically injured patients in rural areas are at risk due to the time it takes the ambulance service to reach them, a BBC investigation has found. Those in some rural communities are waiting more than 20 minutes on average for help for cardiac arrests, seizures and life-threatening injuries. A response is meant to arrive within […]
A man who travelled nearly 200 miles to reach his injured mother arrived before an ambulance reached her. Mark Clements caught a bus, tube and two trains from London to Exmouth, Devon on Saturday after his 77-year-old mother fell and broke her hip. The initial 999 call was made at 09:00 GMT but paramedics did […]
A woman has described how her dying husband was left “in agony” from a stroke after she was told it would take up to an hour to get an ambulance. Michelle Lane now has post-traumatic stress disorder and gets flashbacks of husband Tony screaming in pain as her nephew drove them to hospital instead. Mr […]
Media playback is unsupported on your device A four-year-old girl has been praised for her actions in calling for an ambulance when her mum was taken ill. Kaitlyn Wright from Askerswell, Dorset, dialled 999 earlier this month when she was at home with her mother Charlene, who began having a seizure. South Western Ambulance Service […]
Three men and a woman have been charged with criminal damage after an ambulance was smashed up while football fans celebrated England’s quarter-final win over Sweden at the World Cup. The car was taken out of service when it was damaged after the match on 7 July in Borough High Street, London. More than £10,000 […]
Media playback is unsupported on your device A patient waited 62 hours for an ambulance, while four trusts took more than 24 hours to respond to 999 calls, new figures have shown. The longest delays in the UK were recorded by Welsh Ambulance Service, which kept four patients waiting for more than 50 hours. A […]