PATIENTS MUST BE SHOWN REAL BENEFITS OF NEW AMBULANCE TARGETS
IF IT IS NECESSARY FOR THEM TO WAIT ON TROLLEYS IN CORRIDORS
A media release by William Graham AM on 8th January 2008
William Graham (Conservative AM for South Wales East) responding to the announcement from Edwina Hart (Assembly Health Minister) that from April it will be a mandatory time requirement for patients out of ambulances and into hospital - within 15 minutes.
“All previous targets for our ambulance services throughout South Wales East have never been realised, particularly with regard to ambulance response times – in Monmouthshire less than 50% of category A calls meet the 8 minute response time target”.
“Furthermore, it is acknowledged that to achieve this latest target, patients may be transferred from the ambulances on to trolleys and be left waiting in hospital corridors”.
“We all understand the need to ensure the efficient use of our ambulances and paramedics services, and that it is unacceptable for patients to be left waiting for almost an hour in ambulances parked outside A&E departments”.
“However, if the major cause of the delay in admitting patients is the availability of beds and patients are required to wait on trolleys, this will be seen as a backward step in services, it will cause further distress to patients and their families and has the potential to increase harassment of medical staff”.
“It is necessary for patients to be shown that the real causes of this problem are being addressed, that there are real benefits from imposing this new target, and that it is not another announcement for a ‘news headline today – with the problem remaining tomorrow’”.
William Graham JP, AM
CHIEF WHIP, PARTY CHAIRMAN AND EUROPEAN SPOKESMAN
Email – William.Graham@Wales.gov.uk