Paramedic left 18th in queue waiting in ambulance outside Sandwell Hospital
Concerns have been raised over Sandwell Hospital and ambulance services after a paramedic discovered he was the 18th person in a queue to deliver his patient inside for urgent care.
Councillor Adam Aston, who also works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, was on shift on Monday night when he made the discovery and it has now prompted concerns about the hospital and ambulance services.
In a Facebook post, he said: “Imagine being an ambulance person, working 11 hours and 50 minutes of your 12-hour shift and arriving at a hospital to find that you’re 18th in the queue to be able to take your patient inside. Yea [sic] … that.”
It comes as hospitals are already operating at between 94 and 96 per cent capacity, according to NHS Providers - a membership organisation that represents NHS trusts.
Councillor Richard Jones, who also works as a paramedic across Sandwell, also said it was a regular occurrence and was "demoralising".
He said: “It’s difficult because this is a regular occurrence. It’s demoralising when it happens at the end of shift and you know you now have enforced overtime and will be late home.
“The worst I’ve had recently is four hours past the end of my 12-hour shift – a 16-hour day and only officially entitled to a 45-minut break throughout that time.
“I’m scared what the new variant is doing and the reaction by the government with inconsistent measures, such as that I have to wear a mask indoors when shopping but it’s fine to go to pub or nightclub without a mask.
“I’m worried that at this time of year it’s only going to get worse. Morale on station is at an all-time low with holidays being cancelled, too.”
NHS Clinical Commissioning Group for the Black Country and West Birmingham were approached for comment.
The “new national mission” of seeking to provide boosters, which have been shown to significantly increase protection against the variant compared with two doses, would mean non-urgent NHS appointments being postponed, the Health Secretary Savid Javid has already warned.
