Midhurst heart attack victim 'waited six hours for ambulance'

Midhurst district councillor Kate O’Kelly (Lib Dem) has raised major concerns about what she describes as ‘appalling’ ambulance waiting times for residents living in the north of the Chichester district.

After speaking to constituents, Cllr O’Kelly said she heard from one man who had suffered a heart attack and had to wait six hours before an ambulance arrived.

Another case study from the town was a man who called an ambulance for his wife, but after waiting nine hours, decided to take her to the hospital himself.

The Liberal Democrats are now demanding urgent funding for ambulance services across the country and are calling for an inquiry by the Care Quality Commission.

Cllr O’Kelly said: "Residents in our area are increasingly thinking that if they have a medical emergency the best option is to drive them to hospital. However, we know that for the most vulnerable residents this is not an option. This is just not good enough.

"This is a real crisis in health care provision. I am really concerned that this means lives are being lost. We know there that there is a national crisis in ambulance services but rural areas are particularly affected.

"I have written to the Chair of the Health and Adults Social Care Committee to raise the issue again with the South Coast Ambulance Service. We must agree on a way to improve things now.”

A South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) spokesperson said: “As we continue to face high demand, we would like to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work and commitment, especially during the recent hot weather. We know that some patients are waiting longer than they should for a response. We are very sorry and we are doing everything we can to reach those who need assistance as quickly as possible, while prioritising our response to our most seriously ill and injured patients.

“We continue to work closely with hospitals across our region to minimise handover delays to ensure we are as best placed as possible to attend patients in the community requiring an ambulance response.

“The public can help us manage demand by only calling 999 in an emergency. We also urge everyone to make use of alternatives to 999 for help and advice including speaking to their GP, a pharmacist, by visiting 111.nhs.uk or calling 111.”