Health bosses 'throwing everything' at tackling ambulance delays ahead of MP summit

Dozens of people have been left waiting for ambulances this week due to "extreme pressures" on West Midlands Ambulance Service, a major problem that has been building for a number of months.

Today, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin bosses will meet with the county's MPs to discuss the issue and make a plea for their help.

Sam Tilley, director of urgent & emergency care and emergency planning, told Shropshire Council's Health and Wellbeing Board: "We are throwing all the tools in our arsenal at this agenda, bringing our MPs into the conversation to see how they could support us.

"We have a second summit tomorrow, looking at the specific issue of ambulance handover delays, which is particularly concerning for everyone."

She added: "It would be remiss of me not to mention the context in which we're working. It has become no less complex since earlier in the year when I updated the board.

"Today, just looking at the numbers coming through, we have circa 137 patients with Covid in our hospitals trust at the moment, and cases within the community as well. We know that number are on the rise

"We've got underlying workforce issues. All of these things play into our ability to drive forward our plan at pace. However, our commitment is still resolute and our ambition is unwavering.

"All ambulance services across England are at their highest escalation level at the moment. While Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin is in the thick of this issue, we're b no means alone.

"I think there are some glimmers of hope in all of this. We are seeing some improvements. It's difficult to find those amongst this challenge that we're facing, but they are there."

At one stage this week, there were 18 ambulances waiting outside Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, with the longest wait being nearly seven-and-a-half hours.

Meanwhile, there were 43 cases of people waiting for ambulances having phoned 999. WMAS stopped short of declaring a critical incident, though accepted it was under “extreme pressure”.

WMAS nursing director Mark Doherty recently predicted August 17 as the “Titanic moment”, when ambulances won’t be available to pick up patients.