Ambulance Waiting Times

Ambulance services across the country are facing unprecedented demand as Covid restrictions have lifted, leaving A&E departments at full capacity. With staff shortages due to Covid, handover delays of patients are having a real impact on service levels of patient care.

There are reports of patients being stuck in the back of ambulances on hospital grounds for hours due to a lack of medical staff to receive them onwards.  There are also several reports of patient deaths due to ambulance delays. Research shows that ‘all 10 of England’s major ambulance trusts have raised their internal alert level to a point indicating they are under severe or extreme pressure.’

Ambulance crews are stuck caring for patients in the back of their ambulances as they are unable to offload and transfer care to hospital care staff. This is leaving patients needing urgent care without the care they need, both patients stuck in the ambulances waiting to be handed over and those waiting at home for urgent care. This situation has led to an increase in clinical negligence cases of NHS patients.

Recently highlighted cases include:

• Staffordshire’s assistant coroner issued a ‘prevention of future deaths’ warning after a patient in Stoke died after waiting eight hours for an ambulance
• The family of a man who died after waiting nine hours for treatment has issued a legal challenge against the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service over a “chronic shortage” of ambulances
• The London Ambulance Service is investigating after a man died when paramedics took almost 70 minutes to respond to a suspected heart attack

Delays in care also lead to some patients’ conditions deteriorating, health issues developing and patients experiencing unnecessary or prolonged pain and suffering.

Clinical negligence, also known as medical negligence, refers to cases where a person is injured or falls ill due to the improper care of a doctor, nurse, cosmetic surgeon, dentist or another medical practitioner, either, private or NHS. It includes:

• Misdiagnosis or failed diagnosis that has resulted in a medical issue worsening.
• Inappropriate courses of treatment for your medical issue have resulted in it getting worse.
• Lack of proper procedures on the part of your medical professional during treatment causes further injury or illness that could have been prevented.
• Lack of proper advice from your medical professional prior to treatment results in poor decisions or inappropriate treatments.

AMBULANCE WAITING TIMES. HAVE YOU SUFFERED CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE?

To learn more and to discuss your potential claim in confidence, contact our team on 0333 358 3034. Alternatively, complete our online contact form to arrange an initial no-obligation telephone consultation with a member of our expert team.