Delays not acceptable
On Friday 4 August, I suffered a slipped disc. I lay in excruciating pain on the floor. The slightest move would cause agonising spasms. I was in this position for two hours and 23 minutes, which was how long the West Midlands Ambulance Service took to reach me after my father had rung them three times. This is the longest time I have ever waited for an ambulance. The reply from the Ambulance Service said that twice during that time, ambulances had been despatched but unfortunately were re-routed to priority-one (life-threatening) cases.
While I agree that life-threatening scenarios must take precedence, it is nonetheless unacceptable for anyone to be kept waiting for this length of time in great pain.
I attribute this delay to there being an insufficient number of available ambulances and paramedics. This suggests to me that more funding should be put into the WMAS.
Sean Flanagan
Aldridge
