Cotswolds councillors say ambulance wait times are 'disgraceful'
Councillors are calling for improvements for ambulance performances
Councillors in the Cotswolds are pleading for improvements as the South Western Ambulance Service NHS (SWASFT) is behind target on waiting times.
The service have a target of eight minutes for life-threatening situations but people in the Cotswolds could be facing a 13 minute wait whilst Northleach and Bourton Vale wards could be waiting as long as 22 minutes.
The biggest gap though is for category two cases - which could be people suffering from a stroke. It should be 18 minutes but the Chedworth and Churn Valley Ward tie at joint worst at just over an hour wait.
Cotswold District Council unanimously passed a motion this week which will call on SWASFT’s chief executive for a full report on what steps he will be taking to improve ambulance response times.
Despite recognising and appreciating the hard work of ambulance crews the council say improvements are necessary as the SWASFT has been described as having the worst performance of all ambulance trusts in the country.
Conservative councillor Gina Blomefield (Campden and Vale), who seconded the motion, said all members are aware of the “disgraceful” delays.
Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Chedworth and Churn Valley) propose the motion and has raised the issue for more than a decade. He said:
“The improvements I’ve seen is uneven. And this year performance in rural areas like ours has actually got worse."
Conservative councillor Gina Blomefield (Campden and Vale), who seconded the motion, said all members are aware of the “disgraceful” delays.
In response a spokesperson for SWASFT said: “We recognise there is still more to do.
“Handover delays at emergency departments remain one of our biggest challenges. To ensure our ambulances are available to attend the next emergency call within the community, we need to be able to hand patients over within the 15-minute national target.
“We continue to work hard with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive.”