Ambulance waiting times at Royal Cornwall Hospital are of 'increasing concern'
Truro and Falmouth's MP has raised the issue by leading a debate in Parliament
Truro and Falmouth's MP has issued a warning saying ambulance waiting times at the Royal Cornwall Hospital are of 'increasing concern'.
Cherilyn Mackrory led a debate on the issue in Parliament on Wednesday (29th June) and called on the Government to do all it can to help.
Cherilyn began her speech by thanking local healthcare staff, who work with professionalism, dedication and selflessness, despite being short-staffed and under immense pressure.
She went on to say she recognised recent progress, with the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) piloting new methods to reduce pressure on ambulance crews, the hospital implementing a new Handover Delay Improvement Plan, and the Government investing record sums into the NHS.
But Cherilyn argued that waiting times at Treliske are still too long, with the hospital recently recording the worst ambulance wait times in the country, primarily caused by long handover delays.
As a result, she argued, the Government must look at all the options available to tackle the problem.
Speaking in the debate, Cherilyn said: “This issue of ambulance waiting times at the Royal Cornwall Hospital is vital to my constituents in Truro and Falmouth and the whole of Cornwall.
"There is widespread consensus that ambulance response times are slow in Cornwall due to handover delays, which result in poorer response times as ambulances queue outside A&E unable to attend patients waiting in the community.
"These delays are not to do with ambulance service call handlers; they are a whole-system issue and are impacted by acute challenges elsewhere in the system, particularly with hospital capacity and patient flow. The issues include delayed discharges to social care and other services, as well as bed occupancy. As such, a whole-system approach is needed to tackle this issue.
"The Government must look urgently at tackling the staffing shortages preventing us from moving patients out of hospital beds and into domiciliary care…and recognise the challenges of rurality, an ageing population and higher demand for services.”
Responding, Edward Argar, Minister of State for Health, thanked Cherilyn for securing the debate and praised her as a “notable advocate on behalf of her constituents and those who work in her local healthcare system”.
The Minister affirmed the Government’s commitment to tackling this issue by investing in the hospital, improving patient flow and boosting staff recruitment and retention.
Speaking after the debate, Cherilyn said: “I was pleased to raise this important issue in Parliament and to share the experiences of people in Truro and Falmouth who have experienced these delays first hand.
"I am grateful to the Minister for his thoughtful and considered response and his commitment to prioritising this issue so we can deliver the necessary improvements.
"I look forward to working with local NHS teams and ministerial colleagues to ensure we reduce these delays as soon as possible to benefit everyone who uses our local health service.”