New System To Cut Ambulance Waiting Times

Fears that patients have been put at risk by long delays are being addressed by the Scottish Ambulance Service. Thousands of seriously ill people had to wait more than an hour for a crew last year, despite urgent requests by GPs for ambulances.

Doctors announced the launch of a new system yesterday which they say should cut waiting times. However, at a British Medical Association conference in Glasgow, GPs also expressed concern that the ambulance service, which has seen a huge rise in calls, cannot cope with demand.

BMA leaders told delegates there were questions about whether the service had enough resources. The number of 999 calls to the ambulance service has been rising steadily, with a recent leap of 12%.

Despite this, the ambulance service has recorded faster response times to life-threatening emergencies – the latest average is 8.4 minutes. However, GPs have reported growing concerns about how long it takes crews to reach other categories of patient.

When family doctors see someone they believe needs urgent hospital care they can phone a special number and request an ambulance either immediately, within one hour or four hours.

Doctors at the BMA’s Scottish GP conference said patients were waiting significantly longer, even though they had been assessed as needing urgent attention. Dr Bob Mack, from Dumfries and Galloway, described one patient who waited almost eight hours for a crew. He said: “Apart from the clinical hazard to the patient this causes, it also causes great worry to the family.”

Dr Brian Fitzsimons, a Highland GP, expressed concern that there weren’t enough vehicles to provide adequate cover outside surgery hours. “They cannot cope with their current responsibilities and that’s a serious concern,” he said.

The conference also heard control rooms could take minutes to answer 999 calls. Dr Jim Alcock told the conference he had waited 10 minutes after dialling 999 for the ambulance service to answer the line when he was dealing with a patient vomiting blood. He said: “I am left hanging on and the patients’ relatives are in the room where I am phoning from.”

Dr Andrew Buist, deputy chairman of the BMA’s Scottish General Practitioners’ Committee, said the ambulance service knew telephone answer times were an issue. But he announced that a new system which allowed GPs to request ambulances in tighter time frames would be launched next week to address concerns about delays reaching the sick.

From Tuesday doctors will be able to specify if patients can wait one, two, three, four or more than four hours when calling the ambulance service.

Dr Buist continued: “The service has now accepted that when GPs judge that a patient requires hospital care, then the best place for that patient is in hospital – within the time frame advised by the GP. In future, I would hope that if a GP judges the patient needs an ambulance within the hour, then that should be what happens.

“This solution provides the best possible service for GPs and their patients and will hopefully bring an end to long delays for an ambulance.” He warned GPs would have to use the categories appropriately for the deal to work.