NHS fears as a quarter of people who need an ambulance either walk, get a taxi or stay home and hope for the best
Brits are avoiding calling an ambulance because they fear it will take too long to arrive, shock new polling shows.
The Savanta poll of 2,000 adults showed 23% said they did not call an ambulance to go to A&E in the last two years due to concerns about long waits.
Of this group, 57% drove themselves to hospital, or asked a family member to drive, while 25% called a taxi and 18% walked. Some 16% used public transport, with 17% staying at home as they were unable to travel.
NHS bosses have issued an appeal saying anyone in an emergency should still call 999.
Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, which commissioned the polling, said: “The last Conservative Government’s incompetence and neglect has driven the NHS to breaking point. The situation is now so bad that patients are worried that when they call 999 or their local GP, they won’t receive the care they so desperately need.
“Winter after winter the NHS has faced the same crises and the Conservatives never did more than paper over the cracks. Even now the Conservative leadership candidates are too busy firing insults at each other instead of taking responsibility for fixing the damage they did to our health service.”
The finding that one in four Brits have avoided calling an ambulance because they thought it would take too long to arrive comes after NHS England warned of a possible “tripledemic” this winter. Health officials say poor flu vaccine uptake will leave Britons vulnerable to flu, with Covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also both predicted to hit hard this season. The warning follows thousands being hospitalised in Australia during their winter months, often a precursor to what will happen in the UK.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive, NHS Providers, said: “Anyone in an emergency who needs help fast should call 999 right away. In England demand – a third higher than before the pandemic – for the most serious ambulance calls has gone through the roof but trusts and staff continue to work flat out to see patients as quickly as possible. Latest figures show improved ambulance response times. Recent months have been some of the busiest ever for callouts.
“Despite their best efforts stretched teams face an uphill battle as demand keeps outstripping available resources and staff. Adequate long-term investment in ambulance services is needed alongside sustained efforts to recruit, train and retain staff.”
The data also revealed 49% of Brits say they are worried that they will face a 12 hour wait in A&E or won’t be able to access NHS treatment due to long waiting lists if the health service faces another winter crisis. Some 45% of respondents were worried they won’t be able to see their local GP, while 38% are worried an ambulance won’t arrive for them at all if the NHS is hit by another winter crisis.
Mr Davy, who is visiting North Devon District Hospital on Wednesday, said: “The crisis in the NHS must be tackled head on without delay. From crumbling hospitals to sky-high waiting lists, the new Government must make fixing the health service their top priority. Patients will pay the price if they fail.”
Ex-PM Boris Johnson announced 40 “new hospitals” would be built but it later turned out that many were existing projects planned and many more were not actually new hospitals, but refurbishment of a hospital building. Also the Conservative government did not commit any funding for most of them. The incoming Labour government has said the cost of the programme had “risen by billions” and it is considering delaying 25 of the hospital projects.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a broken NHS and it is appalling that some patients fear they cannot rely on our ambulance services. It is our mission to get the health service back on its feet, including by supporting the NHS to improve ambulance response times. Through our 10-year-plan for health we will build an NHS fit for the future that is there for people when and where they need it.”
Figures published by NHS England last month showed the average response times for ambulances dealing with the most urgent incidents – defined as calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries – was eight minutes and three seconds in August. This is down slightly from eight minutes and 15 seconds in July, and is the shortest time since June 2021 but is above the target standard response time of seven minutes.
The Conservative Party was approached for comment.
