Plymouth MP calls on Labour leader to apologise to ambulance trust
Johnny Mercer has written to Sir Keir Starmer asking him to say sorry to South Western Ambulance Service
Last updated 19th Jan 2023
A Plymouth MP says it was wrong for the Labour leader to say that a patient died because she was "not prioritised" by ambulance staff.
Johnny Mercer is calling on Sir Keir Starmer to apologise to South Western Ambulance Service.
At PMQs yesterday (Wednesday 18 January) Sir Keir raised the case of Stephanie, a 26-year-old cancer patient from Plymouth who died while waiting for an ambulance on January 4.
At the time, the Labour leader called on the PM to apologise for "the lethal chaos he is presiding over":
"Stephanie from Plymouth was battling cancer when she collapsed at home. Her mum rang 999 desperate for help. She only lived a couple of miles from the hospital, but they couldn't prioritise her.
"She was 26 when she died waiting for that ambulance. A young woman whose life was ended far too soon. As a dad I can't even fathom that pain.
"So on behalf of Stephanie and her family, will he (Rishi Sunak) stop the excuses, stop shifting the blame, stop the political games and simply tell us when will he sort out these delays and get back to the 18-minute wait?"
On Twitter, Mr Mercer said that Sir Keir "has levelled a serious allegation" and said it is "not correct" that SWAST "could not prioritise her":
"In this case, an ambulance was called at 3.58am on January 4th, and given the symptoms reported was categorised as a 'category 2' call.
"An hour later a further call was made after the patient's condition sadly deteriorated and the call was upgraded to a 'category 1' call. An ambulance arrived within 8 minutes. The patient had tragically passed away.
"A review is ongoing into this case. It is entirely wrong at this stage to say that this patient died because she was 'not prioritised' correctly. This is offensive to SWAST staff, and is the second time in three weeks that Labour front benchers have mentioned cases that falsely malign Plymouth's healthcare system.
"I have this evening written to Sir Keir Starmer asking him to apologise to the South West Ambulance Service Chief Executive for misrepresenting their position."
Mr Mercer's statement on Twitter attracted mixed responses.
On user said: "He didn't say they categorised her wrong, he said it shouldn't have taken an hour to get an ambulance to a category 2 event.
"Have you even spoken to the family?! I know them personally and they are absolutely devastated."
Another said: "Keir's point is valid no ambulance should take an hour to get there. If they had got there in the under 18 mins they are supposed to the outcome may have been different. That’s is due to 12 year of underfunding and poor management don’t try a deflect."
On Twitter, Labour South West said: "3,481 people with 'emergency' conditions, such as suspected strokes or heart attacks, had to wait more than 6 hours for an ambulance in December in the South West. Patients can no longer rely on the NHS being there for them in an emergency.
"Heart attack and stroke victims are left waiting hours for an ambulance, when every second counts. That is the terrifying reality after 13 years of Conservative mismanagement of the health service."