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Volunteers to drive 999 patients to hospital amid record ambulance delays
2022-04-18 00:00:00.0     每日电讯报-英国新闻     原网页

       

       Volunteers will be sent to drive 999 patients to hospital, as part of efforts to relieve pressures on ambulance services.

       London Ambulance Service (LAS) is to start piloting the new system within weeks, as senior doctors warn of “staggeringly bad” delays to emergency care in some parts of the country.

       Although volunteers are regularly used by hospitals and charities to take patients to outpatients appointments, this is thought to be the first time that non-professionals will be used to ferry emergency cases.

       The ambulance service already sends taxis to take some patients to hospital. The new scheme is aimed at patients who are classed as category 3 - meaning they should get an urgent response within two hours - and who need help because of mobility problems.

       Health officials at LAS said NHS England is looking to use it as the basis for a “national volunteer transport” system.

       Across the country, ambulance response times are the lowest on record, with average waits of more than an hour for heart attack and stroke victims in March, against a target of 18 minutes.

       In London, average waits for such emergencies were almost 51 minutes, the figures show.

       So far 22 volunteers have been signed up and trained for the scheme, which is currently using “community first responders” trained by St John’s Ambulance.

       Responders, who have training in emergency first aid, are normally deployed to get to emergency calls quickly, and provide on the spot help before ambulance crews can get there.

       The service told a board meeting last month: “The project is supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement who are looking to implement a national volunteer transport model based on using our model.”

       NHS England is understood to have provided £100,000 funding for the pilots, due to be launched in May, using LAS cars based at each of the six ambulance stations across the capital.

       The new scheme comes amid warnings of “appalling” waits for ambulances in some parts of the country.

       On Monday, Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said shocking and “staggeringly bad” delays to emergency care meant the mounting crisis was dangerous and putting lives at risk.

       Easter GP pressure

       Health leaders have raised concern about mounting pressure as Easter approaches.

       Traditionally, GPs close routine services after Maundy Thursday, re-opening on Tuesday morning. As a result, A&E departments fall under extra pressure, at a time when more staff are on holiday leave.

       GPs are being instructed to make up any appointments lost to the four-day bank holiday weekend within a fortnight, in a bid to lessen backlogs needing emergency care.

       But there is concern that the hospitals are already under unprecedented strain, attempting to deal with a backlog of patients who struggled to get help during the pandemic, as well as more than 20,000 cases of Covid in hospitals.

       NHS leaders have warned that pressures in the run up to Easter are already “as bad as any winter” with claims of an “unfolding crisis”.

       Model could pose ‘serious risks’

       Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said she had some concerns about the programme, saying: “Given the long waits patients are experiencing waiting to transfer from ambulances into A&E, we'd like to know more about how patients in volunteers' cars can be adequately medically supported if they face a long delay before being admitted.”

       Ms Power said that while she welcomed volunteers “stepping up” to help the NHS during difficult times, “the introduction of a permanent volunteer force transporting 999 patients cannot be a substitute for trained paramedic staff”.

       Unions also raised concern about the use of unqualified people to take the vulnerable to A&E, saying the model could pose “serious risks”.

       Alan Lofthouse, the Unison national officer for health, said: “Volunteers have an important role within the NHS, but they shouldn’t be used to replace the jobs of paid workers. After years of underfunding, ambulance services need to be able to invest in staff and improve working conditions. That will enable them to recruit and retain enough staff to deal with rising demand.

       “These patients might not be suffering from serious illness, but they’re still unwell and vulnerable. These plans would put a huge burden on volunteers and pose serious risks for people needing proper care.”

       No current plans to expand scheme

       A LAS spokesman said: “This project builds on our well-established network of volunteers who respond to emergencies to help ensure our ambulances can reach the patients that need us the most.

       “These fully trained volunteers, who already respond to 999 calls in their communities, will help patients who have been assessed not to need an ambulance but who may need more support than a taxi can provide.”

       An NHS England spokesperson said: “This is a locally-run pilot which will see fully-trained volunteers like St John Ambulance accompany lower-risk patients to hospital where patients do not need to be managed as an emergency but are required to attend hospital following a clinical assessment.

       “There are no current plans to expand this scheme more widely.”

       


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关键词: scheme     waits     trained     patients     emergency     volunteers     ambulances     ambulance service    
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