AMBULANCES - ONE CRISIS AFTER ANOTHER

Written by Jenny Randerson and published in Cardiff Post on Thu 1st Mar 2007

A couple of weeks ago, we had a well predicted snowfall and the health services in Cardiff seemed to go into paralysis. The most obvious symptom was that the Ambulance Service took several hours to respond to 999 calls. In one case, the patient died after 8 consecutive calls failed to get him an ambulance. The odd thing about this latest ambulance crisis, is that the snowfall was on Friday, but the crisis lasted until the following Monday, because far more people than normal were dialling 999.

Defending the situation in the Assembly, Labour Health Minister Brian Gibbons said this was a unique set of circumstances that we were unlikely to see again. At the time, I disagreed with him, as I find it hard to believe the Ambulance Service cannot cope with a short-lived snowfall. What would happen if there was a real emergency, such as a big industrial explosion? The reality is that our Ambulance Service is under such daily strain that the slightest additional pressure leads it to break down entirely.

Only a week later, the Health Minister was proved wrong when he told us he could not foresee similar problems again. This time, a patient had to be taken to hospital in a fire engine, because no ambulance was available. The Ambulance Service is part of a vital jigsaw of emergency and out-of-hours health care services. Unless it fits properly in place, the rest of them cannot work properly and vice-versa.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats believe we need a more flexible approach to these services. For instance, many people who 'phone an ambulance don't need to see a doctor immediately or maybe need a nurse rather than a doctor. Ambulance crews are highly trained paramedics and should be allowed to assess whether patients are real emergencies needing A&E or whether their local GP or the Out of Hours Service would be more appropriate. Many people who go to A&E don't need a doctor, so we believe nurse-led walk-in centres should exist alongside A&E for patients.

We live in a big city with a lot of temporary residents and visitors, who are not registered with local GPs. So we need to develop a more flexible approach to health services.

If you would like to get in touch with me, please contact jennyranderson.com