Pensioner with life-threatening heatstroke waits nine hours for ambulance as shocking NHS stats laid bare
HEATSTROKE patients now wait an hour for an ambulance to turn up as analysis found NHS response times have nearly doubled in the last five years.
One pensioner languished for nine-and-a-half hours in one of the worst cases uncovered from last year.
It comes as Brits bask in one of the hottest weeks of the year with temperatures around 30c.
The NHS says heatstroke is a medical emergency and it can be deadly.
Overheating in hot weather can cause a fast pulse and breathing rate, fainting and seizures.
It can kill if people do not get medical help and may have been a factor in the death of TV doctor Michael Moseley when he collapsed while walking in Greece in June.
We’ve heard too many harrowing stories from people waiting hours for an ambulance to arrive
Daisy Cooper
NHS figures from six ambulance services in England and Wales showed heatstroke callouts took an average of 59 minutes to arrive in 2023.
This was up by 84 per cent – a near doubling – from 32 minutes in 2019 for the same services.
Statistics also showed the response times tended to be longer for over-65s, who are more at risk.
The longest wait recorded was 11 hours and 16 minutes in Wales, which also had the longest average waits at two hours 18 minutes.
The longest wait for an over-65 was nine hours and 27 minutes in the East Midlands.
The NHS said the response time target depends on how serious someone’s condition is – it could be just seven minutes for life-or-death cases, 18 minutes for severe illness or two hours for less serious symptoms.
Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper said: “We’ve heard too many harrowing stories from people waiting hours in a state of confusion for an ambulance to arrive.
“This deeply disturbing data just lays bare once again how the NHS has been brought to its knees.
“For too long patients have been left without the high quality community services they need and staff have been left without the resources to do their job.”
Ambulances ‘operate under tremendous pressure’
England’s ambulance services have failed to meet general response time targets for years.
They say slow clearance of patients through A&E, because of high demand and too few free hospital beds, means it takes longer to offload patients and get back on the road.
Tim Slater, of the East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “The NHS and ambulance service continues to operate under tremendous pressure.
“We know that we’re not able to get to all patients as quickly as we would like to, and for that we are sorry.
“We are doing all we can to address the situation.”
Lee Brooks, of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Poor ambulance response times are a symptom of system-wide pressures, including hospital handover delays, which impact our ability to respond to patients in a timely way.
“We continually strive to respond to patients most in need of emergency healthcare as quickly as possible and in Wales.”
How to keep cool in a heatwave
Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS...
Keep out of the heat if you can.
If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter.
Cool yourself down.
Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes.
Keep your living space cool.
Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep.