Ambulances are failing to respond to requests from solo responders in Rapid Response vehicles.
Ambulance Watch: Paramedics waiting for up to three hours for back-up from their own crews with Norfolk the worst performing county in the east of England
Tom Bristow
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
6:30 AM
The region’s struggling ambulance service is failing to respond to requests for help from its own frontline paramedics with some staff waiting for three hours for aid.
Crews and patients were left waiting for at least 30 minutes on 6,263 occasions in Norfolk over 12 months - that accounts for 5.25pc of all call-outs the service responded to between November 2011 and November 2012.
And the situation is getting worse with solo responders in rapid response vehicles waiting for transport for their patients for 30 minutes on 685 occasions in November 2012 compared to 20 occasions the year before in the county.
On 24 occasions the county’s paramedics waited for more than three hours.
One solo responder said he found himself waiting too long for back-up in two out of three calls he attended.
“It is embarrassing,” he said. “You find yourself apologising on behalf of the trust when you are thinking it is not your fault. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating when the patient’s family is there. You express your concerns to the trust, but often it falls on deaf ears.”
The worrying wait that the service’s own medics must endure for help was highlighted by the death of 27-year-old Catherine Barton in Thetford in August 2011.
She died while waiting for almost two hours to be extracted from her smashed Ford Ka, with the first paramedic on scene stating that she was expecting back-up to arrive.
And the figures put into doubt the trust’s tactic of employing solo responders in rapid response vehicles who help to drive down response times but then have to wait on scene with their patients for an ambulance to arrive so they can be taken to hospital.
Denise Burke from the Act on Ambulances campaign said: “I’m not at all surprised by these figures.
“It all comes down to the fact that we don’t have enough ambulances out there.
“It is quite obvious that just putting in some additional Rapid Response Vehicles is not the answer.
“What is needed is a double-crewed ambulance.”
She added: “I could understand it if they didn’t know what they were coming out to but that is not the case.
“It is not as though a paramedic turns up not having some idea of the complexity of the case.”
In Suffolk crews waited for more than 30 minutes for help on 2,928 occasions over the 12 months and the rise mirrored that of Norfolk, with nine incidents recorded in November 2011 and 256 in November 2012.
In Cambridgeshire crews were left waiting for more than 30 minutes on 2,499 occasions, equating to around 2.5pc of all call-outs.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) said: “We acknowledge that back-up delays have been an issue and are addressing this by making 15 extra ambulances available, recruiting 200 more staff and placing resources where they are needed most so that patients can receive the right care when they need it most.”
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10 comments
Meanwhile Hunt is blaming 'shocking' NHS failings for early deaths. Sure its not his cuts to blame? Hunt's solution: all middle-aged people should be offered regular health checks to spot emerging problems. Is that his open invitation to the private sector? They like lucrative and easy screening work. Under Hunt’s new regulations, the government will force GPs to open up every part of local health services to private companies – whether or not its what they or local people want.
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Police Commissioner ???
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Until N&N sort the booking in arrangements for ambulances, then the problem will never go away and Paramedics will be delayed again and again. There should be no reason why a hand over should take any longer that 15 minutes. More staff (trained I hope) should be available in A & E and not via public A & E as at present. This is so easy to,sort, for Christs sake sort it. A & E at present is chaotic. Do not blame the ambulance service. Norman Lamb...Take note.
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MIKEJ
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Lamb can't really do much. He nodded obediently to Hunt's programme of cuts, and doesn't seem fussed about the stealth-privatisation aspects of current legislation. Maybe calling meetings is all he is really good for.
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Mr Cameron Isaliar
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Some crews were waiting over thee hours last night to handover patients at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Some patients were kept waiting in ambulances in excess of two hours. It is not that crews don't want to man "extra" vehicles. They don't have the time ! New rota changes make this almost impossible.
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Rolf
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
I recently asked on the East of England Ambulance Service facebook site about the extensive delays in backing up single responders, and also about the fact that the majority of the new staff being taken on by the service being Emergency Care Assistants. This is a new grade of personnel, that are trained to a lower standard than that recommended back in 1964, when the Millar Report was a pivotal moment in the development of the 'modern' ambulance service. These ECAs are often working alone, either to make first attendences, or to back up single responders, and are the least qualified emergency personnel to do so for almost 50 years. For daring to ask such questions, I was blocked from their facebook site, all my comments removed, and prevented from making any more. (Ex-Paramedic)
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terryhewitt
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
How can Lamb be trusted when his own Orange Book leader,Clegg,has publicly stated he wants the NHS abolished in favour of a private insurance based system?The likes of these are far more interested in ideological change than the interests of patients.
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Peter Watson
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
A week ago Mr Morgan said it was only a small percentage of missed targets but these figures show that is not true. What these figures also show is that EEAST are not fit to hold the contract and they make more excuses than the rail companies and banks put together. Our MP's are totally ineffective in resolving this issue and must also be held liable. The time for talking is overand immediate action is required.
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Roy Gooch
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Am I right in thinking that these so-called "new" ambulances are actually old (less well equipped?) vehicles which have been off the road for many years and have been pulled out of storage. Are they in a fit condition to drive on blue lights? Happy to be proved wrong - perhaps the EDP could include this in their "ambulance watch" investigations. As for Norman Lamb's "passing the buck" to another health minister last night why isn't he really doing something as opposed to claiming he supports the crews but just talking. Why not resign your ministerial job in protest Norman - that might get Hunt's attention better!
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JB
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Norman Lamb as the health minister just appears to be setting up meetings. When will he take actual action?
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omnishambles
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Hmmm, but according to Look East last night, you're not making another 15 available; only 3. How has this situation been allowed to develop?
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Jaguar
Tuesday, March 5, 2013