Response times & ambulances firegeezer on 03 Aug 2008 12:42 pm
Ambulance Station Roulette Backfires In UK
AN 81-YR.-OLD MAN COLLAPSED FROM A HEART ATTACK ON HIS DOORSTEP last Monday, only 100 yards away from the ambulance station. Unfortunately for Mr. Alfred Parry of Herefordshire, England the station was closed that day and he died before the nearest ambulance arrived from 10 miles away.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service “strategically rotates its ambulance fleet” and Mr. Parry drew the short stick on Monday. While his 12-yr.-old niece attempted heart massage, a neighbor ran to the ambulance station and found it shuttered. He next ran (ran!) to a nearby hospital, but they told him that if the ambulance had been called, then it would arrive very soon.
According to the witnesses, the ambulance took at least 25 minutes to get there. By then the old gentleman had passed away. One neighbor attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He said: “We needed professional help. It was just too long. A bit quicker with specialist help and he would have had half a chance.” The entire community is upset and angry with West Midlands for their policy of arbitrarily closing stations rather than manning all of the ambulances.
A series of public statements from various officials with the ambulance service are enlightening:
- The ambulance service said it was “very regrettable” the time it took to arrive was longer than it would have hoped for.
- “…..the service did a “fantastic job” once they arrived.”
- “Clearly it depends (on) the exact positioning of the ambulance.”
- “I think there is a very definite message here for members of the public that they do need to consider which part of the NHS (National Health Service) that they want to access, so cases like this become more and more rare.”
- “There is no doubt that at the time we did not have a vehicle close enough to help the gentleman. That is very regrettable.”
- “On the rare occasions that a situation like this occurs, the NHS Trust will always investigate the circumstances to see what, if any, lessons can be learned.”
Quoth the bureaucrats.
sourced from BBC News, the Ledbury Reporter, and The Telegraph.
West Midlands Ambulance Service WEBSITE.
