Almost one in four avoid calling ambulance due to long wait times, poll suggests

Almost a quarter of people in the UK have avoided calling an ambulance due to concerns it will take too long to arrive, a survey has suggested.

Health leaders said “adequate, long-term investment” is needed for ambulance services and warned “stretched teams face an uphill battle as demand keeps outstripping available resources and staff”.

In the poll of 2,028 people, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, some 23% said they did not call an ambulance to go to A&E in the last two years due to concerns about long waits.

Of this group, 57% drove themselves to hospital, or asked a family member to drive, while 25% called a taxi and 18% walked.

Some 16% used public transport, with 17% staying at home as they were unable to travel.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The last Conservative government’s incompetence and neglect has driven the NHS to breaking point.

“The situation is now so bad that patients are worried that when they call 999 or their local GP, they won’t receive the care they so desperately need.

“Winter after winter the NHS has faced the same crises and the Conservatives never did more than paper over the cracks.”

Figures published by NHS England last month showed the average response times for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents – defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries – was eight minutes and three seconds in August.

This is down slightly from eight minutes and 15 seconds in July, and is the shortest time since June 2021 but is above the target standard response time of seven minutes.

Ambulances took an average of 27 minutes and 25 seconds to respond to emergency calls such as heart attacks, strokes and sepsis in August, down from 33 minutes 25 seconds in July, while response times for urgent calls averaged one hour, 30 minutes and 33 seconds, down from two hours, one minute and 21 seconds.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, urged anyone in an emergency to call 999 right away.

He added: “In England, demand – a third higher than before the pandemic – for the most serious ambulance calls has gone through the roof but trusts and staff continue to work flat out to see patients as quickly as possible.

“Latest figures show improved ambulance response times. Recent months have been some of the busiest ever for callouts.

“Despite their best efforts stretched teams face an uphill battle as demand keeps outstripping available resources and staff. Adequate long-term investment in ambulance services is needed alongside sustained efforts to recruit, train and retain staff.”

Almost half (49%) of the 2,000 people surveyed said they were worried about potential 12-hour waits in A&E ahead of the winter months, with the same proportion concerned they will be unable to access treatment on the NHS due to long waiting lists.

In August, the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England fell to 28,494, down from 36,806 in July and the lowest figure for 12 months.

During the month, NHS England also met its new four-hour A&E wait time target for the first time since it was brought in, with 76.3% of patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

Sir Ed added: “The crisis in the NHS must be tackled head on without delay. From crumbling hospitals to sky-high waiting lists, the new Government must make fixing the health service their top priority.

“Patients will pay the price if they fail.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a broken NHS and it is appalling that some patients fear they cannot rely on our ambulance services.

“It is our mission to get the health service back on its feet, including by supporting the NHS to improve ambulance response times.

“Through our 10-year plan for health, we will build an NHS fit for the future that is there for people when and where they need it.”

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